Bournville Chocolate Cake
A rich, tender sponge sandwich filled and topped with dark chocolate fudge ganache, celebrating Birmingham's famous cocoa heritage.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 485 kcal
Equipment
- •Two 20 cm sandwich cake tins
- •Baking parchment
- •Electric hand whisk
- •Wire cooling rack
- •Small saucepan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 485 kcal
- fat
- 28 g
- carbs
- 52 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 6 g
- calories
- 485 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan.
- 2
Grease two 20 cm sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
- 3
Beat the butter and caster sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy.
- 4
Add the beaten eggs gradually, whisking well after each addition to prevent splitting.
- 5
Sift the self-raising flour, dark cocoa powder, and baking powder into the bowl.
- 6
Fold gently with a large metal spoon, adding the milk to form a smooth dropping consistency.
- 7
Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins and smooth the tops.
- 8
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until well risen and springy to the touch.
- 9
Leave in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- 10
Warm the double cream and golden syrup in a small saucepan on the hob until just steaming.
- 11
Pour the hot cream over the chopped dark chocolate and stir until silky and glossy.
- 12
Sandwich the cooled sponges with half the ganache and spread the remainder over the top.
Chef's tips
Ensure your butter is truly soft before creaming to guarantee a light, tender crumb. If the batter curdles while adding the eggs, mix in a single tablespoon of flour to bring it back together. Let the ganache cool for 15 minutes before spreading so it thickens into a rich, luscious fudge texture.
Ingredient substitutions
- dark cocoa powder → standard Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- golden syrup → clear honey
Storage
Keep in an airtight cake tin at cool room temperature for up to four days.
Reheating
Enjoy at room temperature, or warm a slice briefly in the microwave for ten seconds to soften the ganache.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overheating the cream for the ganache, which causes the chocolate to seize or split.
- •Opening the oven door too early, leading the sponge centres to sink.
- •Assembling the cake while the sponges are still warm, making the icing slide off.
Serving suggestions
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