Easy Chocolate Cake

(With buttercream cocoa frosting about 5cm height)

12 servings

Ingredients

• 170g all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 220g sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 2dl milk
• 150g melted butter
• 2 eggs

Ingredients for frosting

• 150 g softened butter
• 350g powdered sugar
• 50g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 to 5 tablespoons lukewarm milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Grease a 22 or 23 cm cake tin.
3. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.
4. Melt the butter at low heat.
5. Add melted butter and milk to the dry ingredients and mix well at slow speed.
6. add eggs and mix well at slow speed.
7. Transfer to bake tin
8. bake at 180C 35 to 45 minutes, check by inserting a wooden pick in the center it should come out clean.
9. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from tin.
10. Slice the cake into 2 equal layers after the cake is cold (easier if the cake has been in the fridge).

Frosting

1. Cream the softened butter with powdered sugar in a bowl. Add cocoa, vanilla and 4 tablespoons lukewarm milk, and mix until smooth. Do not over-mix. If necessary, add some more milk.
2. Use one 1/3 of the frosting between the two layers, 1/3 on top, and the rest around the cake.
3. This cake should have room temperature when served.

Variations

1. You may cut the top of the cake to make a flat surface before adding the frosting.
2. You may divide the batter in two and transfer to two bake tins. The baking time would then be about 15-20 minutes
3. To make a tall cake, you may bake two cakes instead of slicing one into two layers
4. You may use ½ cup of freshly brewed coffee instead of milk or water to get mocca flavor