Sticky Chocolate Cakes with Chocolate Sauce

, from Issue #47. August, 2015
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Sticky Chocolate Cakes with Chocolate Sauce

These dense, fudgy chocolate cakes are delicious served warm or at room temperature and keep well in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

½ cup golden syrup
50 grams butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup water
finely grated zest ½ an orange
2 eggs
¼ cup plain yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
½ cup cocoa
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

To serve
whipped cream
chopped roasted hazelnuts, optional
chocolate sauce

Chocolate sauce
¾ cup cream
2 tablespoons golden syrup
150 grams dark chocolate (68% cocoa), roughly chopped
25 grams butter

METHOD

Grease 8 x ½ cup capacity cake tins and place on a baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Put the golden syrup, butter, brown sugar, water and orange zest in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat and tip into a large bowl. Cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk the eggs, yoghurt and vanilla together then whisk into the cooled butter mixture. Sift in the remaining ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth. Divide evenly between the tins.

Bake for 15 minutes until the cakes are just firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tins.

Chocolate sauce: Put the cream and golden syrup in a small saucepan and bring to just below the boil.

Take off the heat and whisk in the chocolate and butter until smooth and glossy.

Place the cakes on plates and pour over a little warm chocolate sauce. Add a dollop of cream and scatter with hazelnuts. Serve the remaining chocolate sauce separately.