Triple Chocolate Cake

What child doesn’t enjoy chocolate on arriving home hungry from school.The first thing they will ask is whats for lunch or open the fridge to check what they can grab their hands on especially something sweet.Normally its the chocolates that becomes the victim here!!
My kids luv delicacies with chocolate therefore ended up with baking a chocolate cake.Who wouldn’t want to sink their teeth into a triple chocolate cake?


Chocolate is said to be a high energy food.A 100g of chocolate contains 2000kilojoules(500 calories).
At one time,doctors believed it to be more nourishing then beef and mutton!!

The world has much to be thankful for when it comes to the Olmecs.These ancient people of southern Mexico built the first major civilization in the Americas more than 3000 years ago, and while doing so,managed to also discover a method for turning cocoa beans into chocolate.The people that followed –the Aztecs and Mayans – developed it further by turning chocolate into drinks,porriages,gruels and solid snacks.

Christopher Columbus literally stumbled upon chocolate on his fourth and final voyage in 1502 when he captured a 150 foot long Mayan trading canoe off the island of Guanaja,near Honduras .Among the treasures abroad the canoe were cocoa beans ,which Columbus knew nothing of. He called them almonds and brought them back to Spain where he died four years later,still with no inkling of what those almonds were.

Thankfully chocolate soon made its way across the world through Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes in 1528.From there, chocolate spread across Europe and along with it its reputation as a decadent luxury or remedy for numerous ills.The French gastronomic author Jean Anthelme Brillat Savarin once wrote in 1825 – “People who habitually drink chocolate enjoy unvarying health ,and are least attacked by a host of little illnesses which can destroy the true joy of living”.

In moderation,chocolate is a useful source of nutrition.Even though its not something that I would indulge in all the time but I cannot refuse a Triple Chocolate Cake once in a while.



This Triple Chocolate Cake have chocolate in the cake, icing and as well in the decoration.The cake itself is less in sweetness therefore the chocolate icing compliment well the cake overall. The decoration is done with melted chocolate .I have used all Hershey’s products, the chocolate chips as well as the cocoa powder.You can use chocolate bar or chocolate bits for this recipe .



125gm butter, softened
110gm caster sugar
40gm icing sugar
140gm self raising flour
40gm cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
250ml milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips(melted)

Icing:
2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
30gm butter
130gm icing sugar
2 -3 tbsp hot water

Decoration:
30gm dark chocolate(melted)

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 19cm square tin with butter ,line base and sides with grease paper.Beat butter and sugars until light and creamy.Transfer mixture to a large bowl.Add in sifted flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda alternately with beaten eggs and milk.Beat until smooth.Using a metal spoon, fold in melted chocolate chips and vanilla essence.Spoon mixture into prepared tin and bake for 40mins or until skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.
Stand the cake in tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.





For icing: Combine chocolate chips and butter in a small pan.Stir constantly over low heat.Add icing sugar ,beat until icing is thick.In between add in 2 tbsp hot water.Add enough hot water to make the icing smooth and spreadable.Use only up to 3 tbsp hot water, when you use more the icing can break easily when it cools on the cake.
The cake rises up therefore cut the unwanted portion and smooth the surface with a knife.It will be easier to spread the icing later on.
Spread icing evenly over cake using a knife and make the surface smooth.You can pour the icing all the sides slowly and let it fall down on the grease paper.Leave the icing on the cake to set. Do NOT try to transfer the cake to another pan as this can make the top icing to crack. You can clean the sides with a sharp knife(not serranated) later on . Cool the cake in the fridge overnight. Melt the chocolate chips and decorate on the cake with desired designs.
To cut the cake in beautiful slices , heat a knife slightly and cut row by row. Remember to hold a cloth when you are holding the bottom part of the knife as it will be hot when cutting. Wash the knife ,wipe dry and heat back again to cut the next row.In this way you will have beautiful slices. Some do use hot water .Dip the knife in hot water, wipe clean and then cut in rows. You can use any method that you perfer.

The above recipe is sent to

1.Fall In Love (FIL) -Milk event hosted by Sanghi of Sanghi's Food Delight
2.Cooking For Kids-Chocolate event brain child of Sharmis of Neivedyam and at present hosted by Salt To Taste
Other recipes included
Chocolate Fudge with Expresso Sauce
Chocolate cupcakes
Love Bites and finally
Chocolate Herbal Tea Truffles
3.Anniversary Special Cake Event hosted by Raaji of My Authentic Kitchen Ventures






Am sending the above recipe to The Best Chocolate Cake Event Mac 2010 hosted by Divya of Easy Cooking