Prue Leith's chocolate fudge cake

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake

• Oil for greasing
• 4 medium eggs, beaten
• 225g (8oz) soft tub margarine
• 110g (4oz) caster sugar
• 110g (4oz) soft light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons crème fraiche or soured cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 170g (6oz) self-raising flour
• 55g (2oz) good-quality cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• A pinch of salt

For the icing

• 225g (8oz) plain chocolate
• 200ml (7fl oz) soured cream
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar

Method

The all-in-one method is a very easy version of making a creamed cake batter. All the ingredients are beaten together at the same time using a strong electric mixer. For all-in-one cakes a soft margarine gives a lighter result than butter.

To make the cake

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4.

Brush a 20cm/8in deep cake tin with vegetable oil, then line the base with baking parchment.

Place the eggs, margarine, sugars, cream and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk for 2 minutes until smooth.

Sift the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt on to a piece of greaseproof paper to combine, then tip into the egg mixture.

Beat for 30 seconds to combine.

Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 40 – 45 minutes. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then release the cake from the edge of the tin with a spatula.

Invert the cake on to a wire rack to cool top-side up.

Remove the lining paper and cut the cake in half when cool.

To make the soured cream and chocolate icing

Break up the chocolate and place in a double saucepan.

Add the soured cream and sugar. Melt together over a low heat. Leave to cool and thicken.

Use the soured cream icing to fill the middle and ice the top and sides.

Storage

This chocolate fudge cake keeps well for up to 3 days.

From Leiths Cookery Bible by Prue Leith and Caroline Waldegrave (Bloomsbury), RRP £35.00

For our great interview with Prue Leith, see the May issue of Saga Magazine.