A simple chocolate cake

Ingredients:

200g self-raising flour

65g Dutch (unsweetened) cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

220g caster sugar

300g sour cream

125 ml full-cream milk

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

125g melted unsalted butter

Sprinkles or dried edible flowers to decorate (optional)

Chocolate icing:

200g icing sugar

30g Dutch (unsweetened) cocoa powder

25g melted unsalted butter

2 tablespoons boiling water

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160°C fanforced. Grease a 22 cm round tin with butter and line the tin with baking paper.

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Sift in cocoa and baking powder, before adding the salt and caster sugar and whisking to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter (cooled) together until smooth. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix gently until the batter is smooth. Spoon the batter into the tin, smoothing the top and tapping the tin gently on the bench a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake in the oven for 55–60 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is cooked through. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When the cake is cool, make the icing. Place the icing sugar, cocoa and butter in a mixing bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until smooth. Spread over the cooled cake and top with sprinkles or edible flowers (if using). Store any left-over cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days.

A comfortingly simple butter cake, with just the right ratio of cake to sunny passionfruit buttercream. This is the cake I make first when I’ve been away from home, and the one I crave with a big cup of tea when my mum is not around for a hug.