Fudgy Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

I bought a carton of buttermilk to bake this cake for my mum but in the end I baked something else (this happened back in September). So I had a carton of buttermilk siting idle in the fridge. Buttermilk is not always available at the supermarket. So when I see it, I grab a carton, provided that the expiry date is still a long way off. I know I can make buttermilk at home by mixing lemon juice with milk but I want the fermented stuff, if you get what I mean.

I have always loved this Buttermilk Chocolate Sheet Cake which I baked when I first started baking. But the complaint that I have with that cake is that it is so moist and soft that it is hard to handle. It's good to eat but messy.

So this time I tweaked the recipe to increase the amount of buttermilk and I omitted vegetable oil. I believe it is the oil that made the cake extra gooey, which is not a bad thing in terms of mouth feel and enjoyment but not so good in terms of handling.

The result? The cake is still moist and good with a firm texture. No more ooey gooey mess when slicing and serving. It is very nice topped with ganache as it adds on to the chocolaty experience. 

When chilled, the cake is hard but you could take it to room temperature before serving or better still, warm it up in the microwave for 30 seconds or more. That would warm and up and soften the cake. That is how I prefer to enjoy the cake.

Fudgy Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

Recipe source : Adapted from here

(Makes one 9" square cake)

Ingredients :

- 113g unsalted butter, cut into small or thin pieces (can be straight from the fridge)

- 1 cup boiling water

- 250ml buttermilk

- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 65g cocoa powder (sifted)

- 250g self-raising flour

- 180g caster sugar

Method :

1. Preheat oven to 160C and line a 9" square pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, add butter and hot water and stir to melt the butter.

3. Sift cocoa powder into the melted butter mixture. Stir to mix.

4. Then add sugar, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and to dissolve sugar. Set aside.

5. In a mixing bowl, sift flour.

6. Pour the wet mixture into the flour and whisk to combine. (The batter will be lumpy in the beginning and will smooth out)

7. Pour batter into the baking pan.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cake is springy to the touch and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

9. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pan to cool on a cooling rack.

10. To frost, pour ganache onto the cake and spread using a spatula.

Ganache Frosting

Ingredients :
- 100g dark chocolate
- 100 ml whipping cream
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Method :
1. Break chocolate into smaller pieces.
2. Put into a heatproof container together with butter.
3. Boil the whipping cream and pour onto the chocolate and butter. Wait for 5 minutes before stirring the mixture.