This kid-friendly Mother’s Day chocolate cake is deliberately messy (and absolutely fabulous)

May 9, 2024

Chocolate loaf cake topped with mascarpone icing, red jam and flowers.William Meppem

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:8

The beauty of this cake lies in its sheer simplicity: a batter that comes together in one bowl, an icing that can be made by hand (or with a mixer if you have one), and decoration that no matter how messy it gets will still look fabulous. Just garnish with Mum’s favourite flowers (remembering to remove them before slicing if they’re not edible!).

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

50g Dutch processed cocoa powder
90g brown sugar
60g white sugar
120ml hot coffee or water
1 tsp vanilla extract
70ml olive oil
120ml milk
1 egg
½ tsp white vinegar
125g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
60g dark chocolate chips

FOR THE icing

150ml thickened cream
250g mascarpone
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
2 tbsp of your favourite red fruit jam (I really like cherry jam with this)
fresh flowers, to decorate

Method

Step 1
Preheat your oven to 155C fan-forced (175C conventional).
Step 2
Line the bottom and sides of a loaf tin (about 23cm x 12cm) with baking paper and set aside.
Step 3
In a medium mixing bowl combine the cocoa powder, brown and white sugar and the hot coffee or water. Mix with a whisk until completely smooth (no lumps).
Step 4
Add in the vanilla extract, olive oil, milk, egg and vinegar and whisk again until smooth.
Step 5
In a separate small bowl, combine the flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl containing the wet ingredients and whisk into a very thin, smooth batter. Pour into the lined tin and bake for 15 minutes.
Step 6
After 15 minutes, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the cake. They’ll sink in to the batter. Bake for a further 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool fully in the tin before turning it out.
Step 7
To make the icing, use an electric or hand-held whisk or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip the cream to medium-stiff peaks and then whisk in the mascarpone, icing sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt. This makes a lot of icing that you just pile on top of the cake.
Step 8
Thin the jam with a teaspoon or so of hot water to make it a little more drizzly. Spoon onto the icing and make some pretty swooshes with the jam in the cream. Garnish with fresh flowers. Slice and serve. Keep any leftover cake in the fridge.