I haven't made this cake in an age, which is a shame; a dense yet soft sponge of bitter cocoa with dark chocolate fragments, sticky, sweet mocha syrup and, if you can bear it, flakes of chocolate on top. It is also one of those marvelous creations made in the food processor .. a few pulses of the button and perfect chocolate batter appears as if by magic. It appeals to my perversity that it is finished with boiling water (or substitute a freshly made expresso for super excess).
Flour, sugar, eggs, a little sour cream, vanilla essence, butter: pulse together, then, with motor running, freshly boiled water is slowly added to make a silky custard. Chocolate shrapnel (milk or plain is your choice) is added, and the mix ladled into a loaf tin.
One hour later (although five minutes less will keep the cake extravegantly moist) and the cake is puffed and crisply crusted, with bubbles of molten chocolate oozing outwards.
Meanwhile boil water, cocoa and sugar rapidly (i added a little Tia Maria for the coffee aroma) for a good 5 minutes to make an unctuous syrup. Pour over the hot cake, punching tiny holes with a cake tester to encourage rivulets of syrup into the middle of the loaf. A crumbled Flake bar or chocolate shavings will stick to the syrup, if you dare.
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