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Chocolate Birthday Cake
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Chocolate Birthday Cake

A classic chocolate cake, rich and moist, easy to make with silky chocolate buttercream. Great for birthdays and celebrations!
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword Cake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 730kcal
Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 350 g Butter or baking spread softened, unsalted
  • 350 g Caster sugar
  • 6 Eggs large
  • 2 tbsp Milk
  • 300 g Self raising flour
  • 50 g Cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp Baking powder
  • ½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda

For the buttercream

  • 225 g Butter softened, unsalted
  • 400 g Icing sugar
  • 50 g Cocoa powder
  • 3-4 tbsp Milk

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line two 8" cake tins (that are at least 2" deep)
  • Make the sponge by mixing the butter and caster sugar together in a mixing bowl until fluffy (around 3 minutes), ideally using an electric mixer
  • Add the eggs and milk, and whisk until fully incorporated
  • Add the self raising flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder and whisk in gently just until you can't see any flour anymore
  • Divide the mixture between the tins, use scales for accuracy if you like
  • Bake them for 35-40 minutes or until a thin skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or remove from the tin and place on cooling racks
  • To make the chocolate buttercream mix the butter on it's own until it's smooth and creamy. Use an electric whisk for best results
  • Add the cocoa powder, icing sugar and milk. Mix until smooth. If the buttercream is too stiff then you can add a little more milk
  • If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a serrated knife
  • Put one of the sponges on your plate or cake stand and pipe or spread some of the buttercream onto it
  • Add the other sponge on top and pipe or spread the remaining buttercream on top
  • Decorate with your choice of chocolates, sweets, sprinkles or fresh fruit
  • Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for 3 days

Video

Notes

  • Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
  • I used a baking spread for the cake and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
  • You can decorate this cake with anything you like! If it is for someone's birthday, perhaps their favourite chocolates on top. Fresh strawberries or raspberries would also look fabulous!
  • You can use any cocoa powder for this cake, of course the better quality it is, the better flavour it will have. Also do make sure you are using cocoa powder and not a hot chocolate powder.
  • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
  • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 730kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 409mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 1327IU | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg