How to make the perfect Swedish chocolate cake for Easter
Worrying about Easter fika this year? Try this most chocolaty chocolate-cake you've ever tasted from Swedish food writer John Duxbury.
This is the perfect cake for Easter, with a really rich deep chocolaty taste and a wonderful luxurious creamy filling and glaze. Of course, you can have fun decorating the top and, if you want, the sides too. As it is very rich, make sure you serve it in small portions!
Summary
Makes 12 portions
Preparation: 35 minutes (5+ hours to cool)
Cooking: 60 minutes
Ingredients
For cake tin:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Chocolate cake:
200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate
100 ml (7 tbsp) strong black coffee
200 g (1 ¾ sticks) butter, cut into small cubes
160 g (1 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tbsp baking powder
50 g (1 ¾ oz) cocoa powder
100 g (1 cup) granulated raw cane sugar
175 g (3/4 cup) light muscovado sugar
pinch salt
3 eggs
100 ml (7 tbsp) milk
Chocolate cream filling and glaze:
400 g (14 oz) dark chocolate
480 ml (2 cups) whipping cream
4 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C (350°F, gas 4, fan 160°C). Grease a loose-bottomed 20 cm (8”) round cake tin and dust with cocoa powder.
2. Break the chocolate for the cake up into pieces and put them in a bowl.
3. Heat the coffee to boiling and then pour it on to the chocolate. Add the butter cubes and stir mixture until the chocolate and butter have melted.
4. Evenly mix all the remaining dry ingredients for the cake. (I find this easier to do in a food processor to prevent the cocoa powder going all over the kitchen!)
5. Lightly whisk the eggs together and then whisk in the milk.
6. Fold in the chocolate mixture and then the dry ingredients.
7. When evenly mixed, pour into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes or so and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
9. Break the chocolate for the filling into a bowl.
10. Heat the cream and 4 tablespoons of caster sugar in a saucepan until it boils and then pour it on to the chocolate and stir until evenly mixed. Leave to cool until spreadable (3-4 hours).
11. Cut the cake into three layers. Spread the chocolate filling between the bottom two layers, over the top layer and round the sides.
12. Decorate with chocolate eggs and/or baby chicks.
Tips
- If 12 portions is too much for your Easter party, remove the decorations and freeze the remainder for another celebration later in the year.
- If possible choose a chocolate with about 60% cocoa solids, but if you can’t find any use 70%.
- Don’t worry if the top of the cake cracks. It is probably because your oven was slightly too hot, but it doesn’t really matter. Cover the tin with a tea cloth, leave to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, turn out upside down on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- If the top is too rounded, trim a thin layer off the cracked surface when the cake is cold.
Recipe courtesy of John Duxbury, editor and founder of Swedish Food.
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This is the perfect cake for Easter, with a really rich deep chocolaty taste and a wonderful luxurious creamy filling and glaze. Of course, you can have fun decorating the top and, if you want, the sides too. As it is very rich, make sure you serve it in small portions!
Summary
Makes 12 portions
Preparation: 35 minutes (5+ hours to cool)
Cooking: 60 minutes
Ingredients
For cake tin:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Chocolate cake:
200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate
100 ml (7 tbsp) strong black coffee
200 g (1 ¾ sticks) butter, cut into small cubes
160 g (1 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tbsp baking powder
50 g (1 ¾ oz) cocoa powder
100 g (1 cup) granulated raw cane sugar
175 g (3/4 cup) light muscovado sugar
pinch salt
3 eggs
100 ml (7 tbsp) milk
Chocolate cream filling and glaze:
400 g (14 oz) dark chocolate
480 ml (2 cups) whipping cream
4 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C (350°F, gas 4, fan 160°C). Grease a loose-bottomed 20 cm (8”) round cake tin and dust with cocoa powder.
2. Break the chocolate for the cake up into pieces and put them in a bowl.
3. Heat the coffee to boiling and then pour it on to the chocolate. Add the butter cubes and stir mixture until the chocolate and butter have melted.
4. Evenly mix all the remaining dry ingredients for the cake. (I find this easier to do in a food processor to prevent the cocoa powder going all over the kitchen!)
5. Lightly whisk the eggs together and then whisk in the milk.
6. Fold in the chocolate mixture and then the dry ingredients.
7. When evenly mixed, pour into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes or so and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
9. Break the chocolate for the filling into a bowl.
10. Heat the cream and 4 tablespoons of caster sugar in a saucepan until it boils and then pour it on to the chocolate and stir until evenly mixed. Leave to cool until spreadable (3-4 hours).
11. Cut the cake into three layers. Spread the chocolate filling between the bottom two layers, over the top layer and round the sides.
12. Decorate with chocolate eggs and/or baby chicks.
Tips
- If 12 portions is too much for your Easter party, remove the decorations and freeze the remainder for another celebration later in the year.
- If possible choose a chocolate with about 60% cocoa solids, but if you can’t find any use 70%.
- Don’t worry if the top of the cake cracks. It is probably because your oven was slightly too hot, but it doesn’t really matter. Cover the tin with a tea cloth, leave to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, turn out upside down on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- If the top is too rounded, trim a thin layer off the cracked surface when the cake is cold.
Recipe courtesy of John Duxbury, editor and founder of Swedish Food.
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