Method
Step 1:
Grease and base line 2 x 20 cm (8 inch) sandwich tins with non-stick baking paper. Preheat the oven to 190°C (fan 170°C/gas mark 5).
Step 2:
Pour the milk into a jug and add the lemon juice.
Step 3:
Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder.
Step 4:
Cream together the butter and half the light muscovado sugar until soft and fluffy.
Step 5:
Gradually whisk in the eggs, then whisk in the rest of the light muscovado sugar.
Step 6:
Add the lemon and milk mixture, then fold in the flour mixture until smoothly combined. Spoon equally into the prepared cake tins and level over the surface of both. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes until risen, springy to the touch and shrinking away from the edges of the tin.
Step 7:
Cool in the tins for 10 minutes then upturn the cakes onto a wire rack to cool.
Step 8:
For the frosting, put the sugar, cream of tartar and egg whites into a large bowl. Rest over a pan of simmering water and whisk with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes until the mixture holds it’s shape.
Step 9:
Slice each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Put one layer onto the serving dish and spread with ¼ of the frosting.
Step 10:
Top with another chocolate layer and some more frosting. Continue layering chocolate and frosting, ending with frosting on top. Finish with a chocolate holly leaf decoration.
Ingredients
- 250ml Milk (whole)
- 1 tbsp Juice of one whole lemon
- 225g Allinson's Plain White Flour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 50g Cocoa powder
- 125g Butter (unsalted) (at room temperature)
- 250g Billington's Unrefined Light Muscovado Sugar
- 3 Egg(s) (free range)
For the topping
- 325g Billington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
- 1 tsp Cream of tartar
- 2 Egg white(s) (free range)
- 325g Billington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
Utensils
- Two 20cm sandwich tins
- Baking paper
- Jug
- Sieve
- Whisk
- Cooling rack
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
Recipe Reviews
Super soft, moist crumb, not too sweet. Perfect recipe. I also baked for 20 mins and doubled to make a taller cake.
My tried and true my go to chocolate cake recipe. This recipe always turns out perfectly and has never failed me. If you don’t have any lemon juice you can always use lime juice instead. I bake this in 3 8” cake tins baked for around 20 mins and it always comes out perfect. The cake is moist yet light and the flavours are perfectly balanced.
Tastes delicious and I always get compliments on it, but it never rises very far, I certainly couldn’t slice each layer of the cake in two, and I don’t usually have this problem with other cakes. I usually end up doubling the mixture and baking four individual layers and then it’s lovely.
Ingredients
- 250ml Milk (whole)
- 1 tbsp Juice of one whole lemon
- 225g Allinson's Plain White Flour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 50g Cocoa powder
- 125g Butter (unsalted) (at room temperature)
- 250g Billington's Unrefined Light Muscovado Sugar
- 3 Egg(s) (free range)
For the topping
- 325g Billington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
- 1 tsp Cream of tartar
- 2 Egg white(s) (free range)
- 325g Billington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
Utensils
- Two 20cm sandwich tins
- Baking paper
- Jug
- Sieve
- Whisk
- Cooling rack
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer