Sometimes all one needs is a slice of heart-warming, comforting chocolate cake. Especially one that is soft and fudgy, and additionally enriched with a tangy sour cherry jam.
Quite simple and straightforward to make, it is suitable for novice bakers, as well. Topped with molten dark chocolate and served with a tiny cup of espresso, it is a slice of comfort on a plate.
My tips for success.
This is the type of cake that you really need to watch carefully so it does not overbake. Its texture relies on being just baked through, but not dry. Even though it will have a layer of jam that it will absorb to make it even fudgier, it truly is best not to overbake it.
Any tart jam works. If you are not a fan of cherry jam, you can use orange marmalade, blueberry or blackberry jam, and even plum jam, if that is what you prefer. The only caveat I have is to blend it smooth beforehand, if it has pieces of fruit.
If you are feeling adventures, you can even use one jam for the cake itself and a whole other one for the topping. One of my favourite combinations is plum jam and orange marmalade.
Ingredients
For the chocolate fudge cake
120 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
20 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
120 grams dark brown sugar
60 grams sour cherry jam
25 millilitres vegetable oil
150 millilitres warm water
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
100 g sour cherry jam
For the chocolate glaze
120 grams dark chocolate (70%)
30 millilitres vegetable oil
50 grams chopped toasted hazelnuts, optional
Preparation
Let the oven preheat to 200˚C and line a small square baking pan (20x20 cm) with baking parchment, bottom and sides. Sift the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add in the sugar, whisk well, and set it aside. Take a medium bowl and blend together all of the wet ingredients; either with a wire whisk or an immersion blender. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and whisk until only combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tap it lightly on the counter, and bake immediately, in a nicely preheated oven, at 200˚C, for about 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. As soon as you take the cake out of the oven, spread 100 grams of jam all over the top, being careful of the hot pan, level it, and let it cool down completely in the pan.
Once the cake is cool enough, chop the chocolate into fine shards, place it into a small saucepan, add in the vegetable oil, and melt it very slowly over low heat or in the microwave. Pour the glaze evenly over the top, shake the pan lightly so the chocolate spreads as much as possible, sprinkle on the hazelnuts, and refrigerate the cake until serving. Yields 12 servings.
