Nadiya Hussain’s Espresso Chocolate Cake

by Nadiya Hussain from Cook Once, Eat Twice

Easy

Makes 12 slices

This beautiful cake from Nadiya Hussain looks like it should be complex to create but it couldn't be easier. Flavoured with chocolate and coffee and with a dense, rich texture, it's a brilliant cake to bake for a birthday or other special occasion.

From the book

Cook Once, Eat Twice

Nadiya Hussain

Cook Once, Eat Twice

Creative, efficient, and cost-effective recipes that hero simple fresh ingredients.

Clever ideas for meal planning and transforming leftovers into delicious meals.

Stretch the weekly shop further with batch-cooked dinners and freezer-friendly bakes.

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Introduction

This is the simplest of cakes. Made with oil and hot water, it’s also the moistest chocolate cake ever – it literally never dries out, even when left out! The intense coffee flavour makes it super special.

Ingredients

	For the cake:
	oil, for greasing
225g	plain flour, sifted
350g	caster sugar
85g	cocoa powder
1½ tsp	baking powder
1½ tsp	bicarbonate of soda
250ml	whole milk
2 medium	eggs, lightly beaten
125ml	olive oil
250ml	boiling water
3 tbsp	coffee granules
	For the ganache:
250g	dark chocolate (70%), chopped
200ml	boiling water
1 tbsp	coffee granules
100g	milk chocolate, shaved, to serve

Essential kit

You will need: a 20cm round cake tin.

Method

Prep: 35 mins. Bake: 55 mins–1 hour. Cool: 10–15 mins.

Start by preheating the oven to 170°C and lining and greasing a 20cm round cake tin. Set aside and get onto making this cake batter, which is really quick.

Place the flour in a large bowl along with the caster sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Whisk everything together till all the dry ingredients are mixed through.

Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, then crack in the eggs, pour in the olive oil and whisk till you have a thick batter. Pour in the boiling water, along with the coffee, and mix it all through – you will have a very runny cake batter.

Pour into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf for 55 minutes–1 hour till a skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake is coming away from the edges. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin completely.

Make the ganache by putting the dark chocolate in a bowl. Pour in the boiling water and sprinkle over the coffee granules. Mix till the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth ganache. To make it more quickly and for an ultra-smooth result, you can mix it using a stick blender. Pour the ganache all over the cake and spread it out evenly.

Sprinkle over the shaved milk chocolate, then pop into the fridge and leave to chill completely so the ganache can set. Take out of the tin, place onto a serving dish and cut into wedges to enjoy.

TIP: Adding coffee to chocolate enhances the cocoa flavour. But if you want to make this for kids, you can remove the coffee altogether and make as pure chocolate or experiment with extracts, such as vanilla, peppermint, orange and so on.