Easy chocolate cake

Master the chocolate cake with an airy, light sponge and rich buttercream filling. It's simple enough for an afternoon tea but special enough for a party too

Prep:35 mins
Cook:20 mins

Serves 14
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 523
fat 29g
saturates 18g
carbs 59g
sugars 47g
fibre 2g
protein 6g
salt 0.6g

Ingredients

200g golden caster sugar
200g unsalted butter, softened plus extra for the tins
4 eggs
200g self-raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
100g milk chocolate, chopped
200g butter, softened
400g icing sugar
5 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk
chocolate shards (see tip, below)

Tip

How to make chocolate shards

For the chocolate shards, melt 50g dark chocolate and pour it onto a tray lined with baking parchment or foil. Now melt 25g milk chocolate and 25g white chocolate and drizzle them over the dark chocolate before it sets. Shake the tray gently to level the mixture then leave to set somewhere cool. Chop into shards.

Method

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter the base and sides of two 20cm round sandwich tins, then line the bases with baking parchment.
In a large bowl, beat all the cake ingredients and a pinch of salt together until pale. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins. Bake for 20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the buttercream, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 secs. Leave the melted chocolate to cool for 5 mins. Mash the butter and icing sugar together with a fork, then switch to a wooden spoon or electric beaters, if you have them. Sift in the cocoa with a pinch of salt and pour in the melted chocolate and milk. Mix again until smooth.
On a cake stand or large plate, sandwich the cakes together with half of the buttercream, then spread the rest on top. Decorate with chocolate shards, if you like (see tip, below).