Baking With Children- Chocolate Truffle Cake

Let me start by saying that I am skeptical of all cakes that a) do not require egg separation b) allow one to just mix everything together with no particular order. 

It came as a great surprise that the choclate cake we made  for Pai debunked both 'a' and 'b' and was, to quote a famous food critic  and food lover also known as Moojie, "really good, as in wow this is good!"

So without further ado, I will share this easy, child friendly really-good-as-in-wow-this-is-good chocolate truffle cake: All credits on recipe to Jane Hornby. Thanks Jane!

1. grease two springform round cake pans, and pre-heat oven to 190 c (375)

2. Measure 300 grams (11oz) dark baking chocolate. Scales are so much more fun than measuring cups for kids.

3. Get a water bath going and let choclate slowly melt. I'm sure you could be lazy and microwave the chocolate, but again, it's more fun for kids.

4. Measure 225 grams butter (8oz) and 300 grams (11oz) sugar. I used muscovado sugar, but any sugar will do.

5. Add 4 eggs. I know, I know, you want to separate them and mix the yolks with the sugar first, and stiffen the whites.  Resist the temptation and just throw it all in the same bowl.

6. Many American recipes call for buttermilk. There is no buttermilk in Portugal so I use yogurt*. Add 150ml  (1/4 pint) of buttermilk or yogurt.  

7. Add 1 tspn vanilla, 1/5 tspn baking powerder, and a pinch of sea salt

*We used vanilla yogurt since we didn't have plain.

7. Mix everything together, including 150  grams (5oz) of self-raising flour.

7.. Stir the choclate, which by now should be quite soft.

 and then add it to everything else.  

 8. Everything should now be in one bowl, and mixed together.

Freddy loves to use the mixer and beats things to death, but the cake still rose and was fluffy.

Distract your child with these

while you pour the batter into both springform pans. Bake for 30 minutes and enjoy!


Gosh this was long, but I promise it was quick and easy. The kitchen didn't even get very messy. So next time you need to make a cake, don't reach for a cake mix, grab a kid and start baking!

Note: The real recipe calls for only 200 grams baking choclate and 25 grams coccoa powder. I omitted the coccoa powder and upped the chocolate.  I also shortened the baking time and upped the temp to 375 from the recommended 325 to keep the inside moist and fudgy, but not liquid or raw.