An easy recipe to whip up before the celebrations start, this chocolatey traybake is the life of the party. No messy icing sugar needed – simply spread a lavish layer of our Cooks’ Ingredients Salted Caramel Icing before decorating with melted chocolate and bright raspberries.
225g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
200g Waitrose Light Brown Soft Sugar
3 British Blacktail Free Range Medium Eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
70g dark chocolate, melted
150ml buttermilk
225g self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g cocoa powder
½ tsp fine salt
150g pack Essential Raspberries, to serve
Crème fraîche or whipped cream, to serve (optional)
For the topping
200g Cooks' Ingredients Salted Caramel Icing
30g dark chocolate, melted
Method
Preheat the oven to 180oC, gas mark 4; lightly grease a
33cm x 22cm cake tin and line with baking parchment. Using
an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar
in a large mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and
melted chocolate. Next, stir in the buttermilk until combined.
Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder
and salt, then sift into the mixture and fold in until combined.
Tip into the cake tin, level the top and bake for 22-25
minutes until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre
comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely in the tin.
Remove the cooled caked from the tin. Spread the icing
evenly over the top, then drizzle with the 30g melted
chocolate for the topping. Allow to set for 5 minutes, then
scatter over the raspberries, slice into squares and serve
with crème fraîche or whipped cream, if liked.
Cook’s tip
You could also top this cake with Cooks' Ingredients Madagascan Vanilla or Tanzanian Chocolate Icing.
And to drink...
Winner of numerous awards, our No.1 Rich Cream Lustau Sherry, Andalusia, Spain (75cl), is beautifully full-bodied and dark gold in colour.
