Ingredients

For the cake

350g

plain flour

170g

brown sugar

2 tsp

bicarbonate of soda

1/4 tsp

sea salt

80g

cacao powder, plus extra for dusting

100g

70% minimum dark chocolate, melted and cooled

130ml

olive oil

120ml

buttermilk

large eggs

shots of espresso

1 tsp

Steenbergs organic coffee extract

For the chocolate sauce

150g

good quality dark chocolate (70% min)

50g

unsalted butter

250ml

double cream

a generous pinch

espresso powder

for decoration

edible flowers

"Coffee and Chocolate, the classic duo. But how about taking it up a notch and adding some Italian passione? My dreamy cacao and espresso cake is rich, bold in flavour and a really show stopper. This yummy treat is very easy to whip up and has a deeeelicious chocolate sauce drizzled over it but with the option of a naked version that’s still gorgeous, you’ll love it."

Thanks to Nikibakes for the delicious recipe.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and prepare two 8″x8″ cake pans with baking spray, and line the bottoms with greaseproof paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, sea salt, and cacao powder. Whisk to combine.
Using an electric mixer on low or a hand whisk, add the oil, buttermilk, melted dark chocolate and then the eggs, one at a time. Leaving the mixer on low or slowing down with your hand whisk, drizzle the espresso and coffee extract in a slow stream down the side of the bowl and mix until your batter is smooth.
Divide into the pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let it cool in pans for at least 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
While the cake is cooling, make your chocolate sauce by melting the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until completely smooth.
Heat all of the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan until evenly combined. Remove from the heat and stir through the melted chocolate. Allow to cool in the fridge for at least 10 minutes so it’s thickened up a bit.
You can serve the cake by either double tiering the cake (two slices being assembled on top of each other), simply sprinkling on some cacao powder OR drizzling over a generous amount of the chocolate sauce AND then dusting further with your cacao powder and adding your flower garnish. I prefer the second option…Buon Appetito