Hi my name is Jo Wheatley, some of you may know me as the winner of 2011 Great British Bake off. Since finishing GBBO I have started up a Home bakery school from my house in Essex (the class dates are listed in masterclasses) and I've now written 2 books 'A passion for baking' on general release & 'Home Baking' available exclusively in Sainsburys and where I also write my monthly column for their lovely foodie magazine. I would love to hear from you with any questions you may have and I promise to answer if I can! (for a quicker response Facebook or Twitter me) Love JoX

Sunday, 11 September 2011

Chocolate Mud cake

This is such a well behaved sponge, I make it really often, it's so simple and normally I have all the ingredients in the cupboard and fridge ( if you don't have sour cream use double cream with 2 tsp of lemon juice). I never really liked chocolate cake before this one and to be honest I'm still not a lover of the artificial tasting shop bought ones, but this moist just about right chocolate flavour cake is so good, I haven't found anyone who doesn't like it. Great for a wedding topper, birthday cake, just for an afternoon tea cake. It's like a little black dress you can dress up or down..............

165 g softened butter
300 g caster sugar
3 Eggs
65 g S/R flour
200 g plain flour
1 tsp bicarb
70 g cocoa powder
200 ml of sour cream & 50 g cream cheese mixed together
cook for an hour @ 180
Mix caster sugar and butter until light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time beating in between each egg.Sieve flours bicarb and cocoa into a bowl, add half to mixture, fold in, add half of sour cream & cream cheese, fold in, then repeat with both, spoon into a 8 inch prepared tin. Cook for about an hour, leave to cool for 10  mins before turning out onto a wire rack. I like to create little holes in the top with a cocktail stick and spoon a couple of spoons of a liquor over, either raspberry or orange are my favourites.
I cover with either a buttercream flavoured with the liquor, a chocolate ganache or a chocolate collar

With a chocolate collar and strawberries.

With a chocolate collar topped with a chocolate ganache.



26 comments:

  1. This looks so awesome! A real treat, thanks for sharing the recipe, Jo. Love your blog background ;) x

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  2. Oh Jo, this sounds and looks utterly delicious. One I will HAVE to try! One question, how can a girl not like chocolate - a mystery to me!! xxx

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  3. My pleasure GWLTG, 2 of my favourite things pastries and cook books lol x
    Anneliese, I know I love chocolate bars but not really cakes icecream or anything like that, got to say I love chocolate fondants x

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  4. I could do with a bit of that right now! Love the choccie band around it, that is something I wouldn't even attempt, but I might try the cake, sounds like a good recipe.

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  5. Hi Jo, sorry you must be sick of my comments popping up all over the place on here & Facebook etc but I've just started following you and I'm getting lots of tips and ideas I haven't been able to find anywhere else. I'm so pleased you have put this recipe on as I have been looking for something just like it, the chocolate cake I make is very light and airy and although everyone loves it I really wanted to make something dense and moist for a change! Just wanted to clarify a couple of things: do you use medium or large eggs? And is it just the one tin, and you don't cut it in half afterwards (can't quite see from the photo)?

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  6. Hi Helen, I really happy to help and very flattered. I usually use large free range eggs, and I use one tin you could split it but I don't normally it's so moist it actually doesn't need anything though the centre.
    @ Janice thank you for you're lovely comment, it's very moorish lovely deep and moist yum my fav chocolate cake x

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  7. Hi Jo!
    Big congrats on last night!
    This cake looks amazing - have to try it! But can I ask please, how do you do the polka dot effect on the decoration?
    Thanks x

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  8. Sarah just come across how Jo done it under celebration cakes.

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  9. Hi Jo, I've just made this cake it's in the oven smelling really good :-) It's for the second of tier of a wedding cake I'm making, it's my first wedding cake and I'm very nervous! Fingers crossed it all goes well!

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  10. I have everything to make this delicious sounding cake this evening bar the cream cheese. Can I get around this? Congratulations on GBBO - you are very inspirational.

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  11. Hi everyone so sorry for late reply, Thank you so much for all your messages, really pleased you like the recipe I must admit it's one of my favourites xx

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  12. The chocolate cake was a great success for the wedding Jo, it stood up really well to trimming and sugarpasting plus it tasted delicious, so lovely and moist. Thanks for such a great recipe! I linked this page to my blog post so readers can find the recipe easily :-)

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  13. Hi Jo just made this cake it is gorgeous !! decided to go for the ganache rather than collar as i couldnt wait that long to eat it :) i think you were amazing on the bake off and congratulations on the win :) xx

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  14. Thank you Jo: it's quite difficult these days to find a nice chocolate cake recipe, I'm looking forward to trying this one out. My friend just moved house so perhaps I'll make it for her and her husband. Thank you for sharing the recipe xx

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  16. So glad that I found your blog. I was rooting for you on the GBBO and delighted that you won. Am now getting inspiration from your fantastic recipes. Thanks again.

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  17. Hi Jo, it is Mothering Sunday and I am waiting for Homeland to start so instead of reading one of my numerous cook books (too full to get up and go to the bookshelf) I am surfing the net and on to your blog :-) I love window shopping on line. My question is...do you use good quality chocolate for the chocolate collar or baking chocolate and what is the best way to wrap it round the cake.

    thank you as always

    Beverley xoxo

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  18. Hi Paul, i'm so pleased you found me too X
    Beverley I only ever use stuff that i'd eat, here is the link to my facebook notes on the collar xx https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=270200929690092 xx

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  19. Lovely lovely recipe, I had to defrost cream in the microwave just so I could make it. Cooked them as cupcakes and wow totally brilliant, thank you xx

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  20. Hi - I am a very new AGA owner - could you tell me the best way to cook this in my AGA (which I'm loving by the way!)

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  21. Hi Jo, I made this a couple of weeks ago. You're right, it's a very well behaved sponge and is totally delicious - moist and rich and damp, just as a mud cake should be! I made mine with a coconut cream cheese frosting. Wrote about it on my blog: www.cupofteasolveseverything.com. Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe x

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  22. Jo I made this one for my husband and it was delicious. Really moist and chocolatey. I drizzled hazelnut coffee syrup into it and it was amazing, thanks for the idea!!

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  23. Hi Jo, can we make cupcakes with the same recipe?

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  24. Hi Paridhi, you can yes, I haven't but lots of people have told that they have, Rosie that sounds wonderful,Rana so pleased you liked the recipe x

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  25. Thanks jo! Will this be a very tall cake (looks so from the pictures). - good enough to cut into two and fill with buttercream? Or, should I bake it in two pans and then sandwich them together since I do not have a very tall baking tin?

    Also, how much buttercream will be required to ice this along with 48 cupcakes? Sorry for all the questions - but doing bulk baking for the first time and want to be extra careful.. Many thanks!

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