When you need a cake that’s mega-chocolaty, quick, easy and super-tasty, this is IT. No baking is required. It’s a great, flexible cake, with lots of tasty options. One that you’ll probably make lots of times. It will be lovely every time, but probably never exactly the same each time.
Serves: 12 – 15
Time: 20 minutes + at least 2 hours chilling; another 40 minutes if you make choc stars
Level: Nice and easy, except for the stars, but they’re not too difficult. (Go on, have a go.)
Equipment: 1 x 23cm/9” round, loose bottomed tin + piping bags
Calories: Varies, depending on what you put in. Whatever you choose, it’s going to be a lot. If you used the lower limit ingredients and cut it into 12 slices each would be about 625 calories. The white chocolate decorations are extra – sorry dieters.
Ingredients
N.B. I’ve given a lower and upper amount for many ingredients, so you have lots of choice; probably it’ll depend on how high the sides of your tin are.
- 200g – 250g (7oz – 9oz) unsalted butter, or Stork or similar or a mixture
- 300g – 400g (10oz – 14oz) dark or milk chocolate (or a mixture), broken into small pieces
- 50g – 75g (1.75oz – 2.5oz) golden syrup
- Around 500g (1lb 2oz) biscuits, broken into small pieces (I used a mixture of three: Digestives, Hobnobs and Oreos.)
- 100g – 125g (3.5oz – 4.5oz) dried fruit
- 100g – 125g (3.5oz – 4.5oz) nuts, chopped
- 100g (3.5oz) chocolate chips (any type, but to make the title accurate you should use a different colour from earlier.)
- 50g – 75g (1.75oz – 2.5oz) ground almonds
- Optional extras (all chopped) could include: glace cherries, apricots, mini-marshmallows, dates etc.)
- 60g (2oz) white chocolate (for decorative piping.)
- Food colouring (optional, but if you do use them, make sure they’re gel or powder as water based colours will make the chocolate seize up.
Method
1. Lightly grease the tin and line the base with baking parchment. Dust with cocoa powder.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup then remove from the heat.
3. While the chocolate mixture is melting, weigh out all the dry ingredients except the white chocolate and mix them well together in a very large bowl.
4. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the dry mixture and stir well until everything is coated in chocolate. Tip the mixture into the tin and spread it out evenly. Use the back of a spoon or the flat side of a plastic dough scraper to flatten the surface, while trying very hard not to eat any of it. (I failed.) Leave it to cool for a while then cover with cling film and place it level in the fridge. Leave for at least 2 hours to cool and solidify.
5. Melt the white chocolate either using a bain marie with gentle heat or carefully in the micro-wave using short blasts and stirring each time. Allow it to cool a little and fill a piping bag. Cut a fine hole and rapidly pipe zig zag lines across the cooled cake. Return to the fridge if necessary for 30 minutes.
5b. Or, make chocolate stars. First, create a sheet of star shapes (On Microsoft Word go to Insert – Shapes) Fasten a sheet of baking parchment over the star sheet. Melt the chocolate then add a small amount of whatever colour you fancy. Spoon or pour it into the piping bag. Lay the bag flat and spread the melted chocolate so that it begins to cool. When it’s cool but still a bit runny, snip a small hole in the end and pipe your stars.
I hope you enjoy this lovely cake. If you want to see more chocolate cake recipes click here. Some of my personal favourites that I’m sure you’ll love as well are these:
Chocolate and Orange Marbled Ring Cake
Chocolate Lime and Orange Cake.
Double Chocolate and Pear Cake
Also, please have a look at my site for lots of other recipes, sweet and savoury. If you’d like to comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page.
Ingredients for a 20cm/8” simplified even quicker (non-decorated) version
- 175g/6oz unsalted butter, or Stork or similar or a mixture
- 250g/9oz dark or milk chocolate (or a mixture), broken into small pieces
- 45g/1½oz golden syrup
- 350g/12oz biscuits, broken into small pieces
- 115g/4oz dried fruit (chopped apricots, glace cherries, sultanas, raisins etc.)
- 60g/2oz nuts, chopped^
- 30g/1oz mini marshmallows^
- 75g/2½oz white chocolate chips^
- 50g/1¾oz ground almonds^
* These measurements are flexible and can be varied up and down a little; some items ^can be omitted if you don’t have them.
NB Since making the original version I now line the insides if the tin as well as the bottom as this makes removal much easier.
Retired Bloke on Food n stuff 