Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

Hi guys!

This week has been quite intense and packed with lots of learning so all I was craving this weekend was some real comfort food to wind down and relax a little. I am a big chocolate fan, so finding the perfect chocolate cake recipe has been on my agenda for a while and I remembered seeing the following recipe and instantly thought "Why not give it a try today?". The recipe comes from Nigella Lawson's "How to be a domestic goddess" and even though I find the title rather ridiculous, I love the subheading that reads "baking and the art of comfort cooking" which, in my opinion, sums up the idea behind the book.

Here's the recipe:
225g (1 + 4/5 stick; 8 oz) unsalted butter, softened 
375g (13 oz) dark muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g (3.5 oz) good-quality dark chocolate
200g (7 oz; 1 1/3 cup) plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
250ml (1 cup; 8 fl.oz) boiling water

1) Preheat the oven to 190°C (374°F). Cream the butter and sugar, either with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer, than add the eggs and vanilla, beating in well. 

2) Melt the dark chocolate over low heat. Fold in the chocolate, taking care to blend well but being careful not to overbeat. You want the ingredients combined: you don't want a light airy mess. 

3) Gently add the flour and bicarb, alternately with the boiling water until you have a smooth and fairly liquid batter. Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes.

4) Turn the heat down to 170°C (338°F) and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. The cake will still be a bit squiggly inside, so an inserted skewer won't come out completely clean. 

5) Place the loaf tin on a rack, and leave to get completely cold before turning it out. Don't worry if it sinks in the middle: indeed, it will do so because it's such a dense and damp cake. 

Makes: about 16 slices
Active preparation time: 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour
© Copyright: Nigella Lawson, "How to be a Domestic Goddess", p. 166

Here's how mine turned out:

I am very well aware that this is not the most beautiful cake I've baked, but its taste makes up for it by a hundred times. My cake sunk in the middle, but once you've cut it into slices, it doesn't look bad at all - I promise. 

Have fun trying!