Instead of being caught up in the commercial whirlwind of celebrating your mother with expensive gifts, there’s nothing nicer and more appreciated than a good home baked chocolate cake.
The allure of chocolate is universal and long associated with all celebrations, and a good chocolate cake is no exception. A flop-proof recipe is one to treasure, and these two are keepers. Both feature inkomazi/buttermilk, which makes a rich and moist cake.
The first recipe is from the late Dorah Sitole’s last cookbook Dorah Sitole: 40 Years of Iconic Food before she passed away in early 2021. It’s a fitting Mother’s Day tribute to Dorah, a mother and a grandmother who loved nothing more than cooking and baking for her family.
Dorah so enjoyed a good slice of chocolate cake that she added a little coffee to her fabulous recipe for a choc/coffee flavour and made it lovely and dark.
My recipe is one I’ve been making for years. It’s so easy and doesn’t need any fancy equipment, not even a mixer. It’s dark, delicious and super moist and both the cake and icing are made using inkomazi/buttermilk. I find it tastes better the second day — if you can wait that long.
DORAH’S MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
250g (2 cups) cake wheat flour
190ml (¾ cup) cocoa powder
10ml (2 tsp) baking powder
5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
5ml (1 tsp) salt
15ml (1 tbsp) instant coffee
400g (2 cups) sugar
250ml (1 cup) inkomazi/buttermilk or plain yoghurt
125ml (½ cup) vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
250ml (1 cup) boiling water
Chocolate ganache frosting:
65g (¼ cup) butter, melted
250ml (1 cup) cream
200g (about 2 cups) dark chocolate, chopped or use chocolate chips
3ml (½ tsp) vanilla extract
30ml (2 tbsp) brewed coffee
Extra dark chocolate for decorating
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180° C. Grease a 20cm Bundt tin well.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and coffee in a large bowl and then add the sugar.
- Whisk together the inkomazi, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and mix together until well combined.
- Carefully add the boiling water to the cake batter. Beat together thoroughly until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely.
- For the frosting combine the butter and cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.
- Place the chocolate pieces in a glass bowl, pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and stir in the vanilla and coffee. Allow to stand for 3-5 minutes to soften the chocolate or chocolate chips completely. Stir until smooth.
- Cover the cake with chocolate ganache frosting and decorate with the chocolate shavings or grated chocolate.
Recipe: Dorah Sitole, 40 Years of Iconic Food
RECIPES | Inkomazi is the secret for a very good chocolate cake
Make mom her favourite teatime treat this Mother’s Day using a flop-proof recipe from two foodies
Instead of being caught up in the commercial whirlwind of celebrating your mother with expensive gifts, there’s nothing nicer and more appreciated than a good home baked chocolate cake.
The allure of chocolate is universal and long associated with all celebrations, and a good chocolate cake is no exception. A flop-proof recipe is one to treasure, and these two are keepers. Both feature inkomazi/buttermilk, which makes a rich and moist cake.
The first recipe is from the late Dorah Sitole’s last cookbook Dorah Sitole: 40 Years of Iconic Food before she passed away in early 2021. It’s a fitting Mother’s Day tribute to Dorah, a mother and a grandmother who loved nothing more than cooking and baking for her family.
Dorah so enjoyed a good slice of chocolate cake that she added a little coffee to her fabulous recipe for a choc/coffee flavour and made it lovely and dark.
My recipe is one I’ve been making for years. It’s so easy and doesn’t need any fancy equipment, not even a mixer. It’s dark, delicious and super moist and both the cake and icing are made using inkomazi/buttermilk. I find it tastes better the second day — if you can wait that long.
DORAH’S MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
250g (2 cups) cake wheat flour
190ml (¾ cup) cocoa powder
10ml (2 tsp) baking powder
5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
5ml (1 tsp) salt
15ml (1 tbsp) instant coffee
400g (2 cups) sugar
250ml (1 cup) inkomazi/buttermilk or plain yoghurt
125ml (½ cup) vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
250ml (1 cup) boiling water
Chocolate ganache frosting:
65g (¼ cup) butter, melted
250ml (1 cup) cream
200g (about 2 cups) dark chocolate, chopped or use chocolate chips
3ml (½ tsp) vanilla extract
30ml (2 tbsp) brewed coffee
Extra dark chocolate for decorating
Method:
Recipe: Dorah Sitole, 40 Years of Iconic Food
CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK CAKE
Ingredients:
500ml (2 cups) cake wheat flour
375ml (1 ½ cups) sugar
Pinch of salt
5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
125g butter
250ml (1 cup) water
125ml (½ cup) sunflower oil
125ml (½ cup) cocoa powder, sifted
2 extra large eggs
125ml inkomazi/buttermilk or plain yoghurt
Icing:
60g (4 tbsp) butter
30ml (2 tbsp) cocoa powder, sifted
45ml (3 tbsp) inkomazi/buttermilk or plain yoghurt
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
375ml (1 ½ cups) icing sugar, sifted
Method:
Recipe: Hilary Biller
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: