Karyn’s Moist Chocolate Cake

A number of guests at the party have asked me for the chocolate cake recipe, so here it is.

Karyn, of course, didn't ask, because she knows it so well, having made it so many times for school lunches. It's a 'Little Black Dress' (a little brown dress?) of a cake - you can flash it up and make it into a formal gateau in layers with icing, frosting, berries, cream, jam etc, or make it casual in a meat dish, dusted with icing and cut it into utilitarian squares.

Here is the basic recipe.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup cocoa powder mixed with 3/4 cup boiling water and 3/4 cup cold water.

2 tsp vanilla essence

2 Tbsp cider vinegar or lemon juice

3/4 cup oil

2 eggs

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.
2. Mix together the cocoa and water with the other liquid ingredients and the eggs.
3. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.
4. Pour the batter into one large greased meat dish or two 20 cm round baking tins.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 170ºC for 35 - 40 minutes. Test around this time by inserting a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, cake is done.
6. Let sit in tin for 5 minutes then run a knife around and remove from tins and cool on a wire rack.
7. When cool, dust with icing sugar or ice with chocolate icing.

Chocolate icing: 1 cup icing sugar, 1 Tbsp cocoa, 2 tsp butter. Add 1 Tbsp boiling water and mix until smooth.

8. Store cake in an airtight container. Makes 32 pieces.