Chocolate birthday cake recipe

Our chocolate birthday cake recipe is the perfect treat for anyone celebrating a special milestone - and is ready in just six simple steps.

This deliciously gooey chocolate birthday cake has a soft rich chocolate sponge that's smothered with a thick, dark chocolate icing - formed of dark chocolate and golden syrup for a deliciously fudgy flavour. We've kept ours simple with a few candles and some sprinkles, but you could top yours with some Maltesers, Smarties, M&Ms of chunks of your favourite chocolate bars to make it extra special for whoever is celebrating their birthday, just don't forget the candles. This cake takes 20 mins to prepare and will serve up to 10 people.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
• 140g butter, softened
• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 5 medium eggs, separated
• 1tsp baking powder
• 100g plain flour

For the icing:

• 250g dark chocolate
• 1tbsp golden syrup
• 100g unsalted butter

Method

1. For the cake, preheat the oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Then, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating as you go. Fold in the baking powder and flour and stir in the melted chocolate.
3. Whisk the egg whites until they hold their shape, then gently fold into the cake mixture.
4. Tip the mixture into a 20cm loose-based tin lined with greaseproof paper. Bake for 35 mins, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin on a wire rack.
5. For the icing, put all the ingredients in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate and butter have melted. Stir and allow to cool.
6. Put the icing in the fridge and stir every 5 mins, until ready to spread over the cooled cake.

Top tip for making this chocolate birthday cake:

You really need a bar of good dark chocolate for a rich flavour. Try Green & Black's - or go for the supermarket's own brand.

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