Rich coffee chocolate cake

Ingredients:
Melted butter or margarine, for greasing
400g good quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped
375g unsalted butter, chopped
330g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
310mls (1 1/4 cups) freshly brewed strong coffee
3 large eggs, lightly whisked
375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder

chocolate glaze:
300g good quality dark cooking chocolate, finely chopped
125g unsalted butter, chopped


Method:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 160°C. Brush a 22cm round or 20cm square cake pan with the melted butter or margarine to grease. Line the base of the pan with non-stick baking paper.
Step 2
Combine the chocolate, butter, caster sugar and coffee in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat until the chocolate and butter have melted and mixture is well combined (see microwave tip). Remove from heat, add the eggs and stir with a whisk until combined. Sift together the flour and baking powder, add to the chocolate mixture and stir with the whisk until smooth.
Step 3
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours or until cake crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake. Stand in pan for 10-20 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
Step 4
To make the chocolate glaze, combine the chocolate and butter in a medium heat-resistant bowl and stir over simmering water until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth and well combined. Remove from heat.
Step 5
Trim the top of the cake to form a fiat surface if necessary. Turn the cake upside down and place on a tray. Pour the chocolate glaze evenly over the cooled cake and spread with a spatula. Set the cake aside ill a cool place (but not the fridge as the glaze will lose its gloss) for about 20 minutes or until the glaze has set. Transfer cake to a platter and decorate as desired. For our cover shot, we've tied a bow around the candle to give the cake a festive look.

Source: Rich coffee chocolate cake