black magic coffee & chocolate cake with sea salt chocolate ganache icing

black magic coffee & chocolate cake with sea salt chocolate ganache icing

I have been making this utterly delicious black magic coffee & chocolate cake for years, but somehow it has not made it onto the blog. The time has come to share this decadent, rich, moist and importantly super easy chocolate cake. I have added an equally easy sea salt chocolate ganache icing to decorate the cake. A great birthday party cake or as a little chocolatey treat with a cup of tea in the afternoon. 

The original Black Magic chocolate cake is something of an internet sensation. There are numerous recipes available on-line, including this one by Hershey's, thought by many to be the first. In my version of the classic black magic chocolate cake I have added chocolate chips for extra crunch and texture, and a sea salt chocolate ganache icing. A little tot of bourbon or rum doesn't go a miss either in the cake batter and ganache icing too, but this is optional. 

preparation time: less than 30 minutes
cooking time: 30-40 minutes (depending on size of cake tin/s used) 

ingredients: 
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups plain white flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (add juice of 1/2 lemon to sour the milk)
1 cup strong black coffee 
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup dark chocolate chips/finely chopped chocolate 
2 tbsp bourbon

for the chocolate ganache icing:
200ml single cream
200g dark chocolate roughly chopped(I used 50 percent cocoa) 
2 tbsp bourbon
pinch of sea salt

to garnish: 
chocolate chips/cake crumbs
pinch of sea salt

method: 
heat oven to 350°F/180C/gas 4. Grease and line two 9-inch round baking tins or one 13 inch baking tin

prepare the chocolate ganache icing by heating up the cream to just under boiling point. Take off the heat, and add the chopped chocolate. Stir until melted and glossy, add the bourbon if using and leave to cool while you make the cake

whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in large bowl

add eggs, buttermilk/sour milk, coffee, oil and bourbon (if using) and whisk for 2 minutes. 

stir in the chocolate chips and pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tins, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

cool for 10 minutes before removing from the cake tin/s, remove to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely before icing.

whisk the chocolate ganache for a few minutes before spreading over the cake (and in the middle if you are making a sandwich cake), top with a scattering of chocolate chips or cake crumbs and a pinch of sea salt and serve. 

cooking hints & tips

Don't worry about the large amount of coffee in the recipe - it does not over power the cake, but instead acts as a flavour enhancer to the chocolate. 

The cake batter will be very thin and runny before baking - but don't worry. The end result is a wonderfully moist, rich chocolate cake. 

for a thicker ganache icing use double/heavy cream. I would recommend this if you are making a sandwich cake version of the cake.

substitute the bourbon for rum if preferred. 

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