Recipe video above. Think of it as a sliceable version of Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding - with a LOT more chocolate fudge sauce! The perfect cosy dessert for cool winter days that's easy to make.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Grease a 20cm/8" cake pan with butter then line with paper.
Whisk Dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add Wet - Then add all the Wet ingredients EXCEPT the boiling water. Whisk until combined. Then add the boiling water and whisk until smooth. The batter will be pretty thin.
Bake 40 min - Pour into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out mostly clean - a faint smear of batter isn't a bad thing, we're making a fudge cake here!
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate, then onto a cooling rack or plate right side up. Cool for a further 10 minutes - the cake will still be warm for serving.
Serving - Cut slices of the warm cake. Top with a scoop of ice cream. Douse with fudge sauce - just shy of 1/4 cup per slice (10 slices). Eat and swoon!
Chocolate fudge sauce (makes 2 cups):
Heat cream until hot, just before boiling point, using your method of choice - saucepan or microwave.
Stand 5 min - Put chocolate in bowl. Pour over hot cream. Ensure all chocolate is submerged, then cover with a plate. Leave for 5 minutes.
Mix - Using a whisk or rubber spatula, mix vigorously until the cream and chocolate combine into a silky chocolate sauce.
Cool to thicken for 20 minutes. Give it a stir then pour into a jug for serving!
Notes
1. Cocoa powder - Dutch processed (darker and more expensive) will also work.2. Baking soda (bi-carb) and baking powder - These both makes cakes rise in different ways depending on the recipe. For the best cake dome and soft crumb, I like using both for this cake. BUT you can use more of either - cake will still be soft and will rise.- Just baking powder: use 3 teaspoons in total . - Just baking soda: use 1 teaspoon in totalSelf raising flour - Skip both the baking soda and baking powder, switch the plain flour with self raising flour. The crumb won't rise quite as much but still fluffy and lovely!3. Chocolate - Use chocolate intended for baking sold in the baking aisle, not eating chocolate (Lindt 70% is the exception). If using a block, chop it finely. Don't use ordinary eating chocolate - it's hit and miss. Some will melt fine, others do not. AUSTRALIA: "Melts" are intended for melting so are safest to use. However, chips will melt fine too. US: Semi-sweet chips are perfect for this.4. Storage - Cake will keep for 5 - 7 days in the fridge (stays moist thanks to a touch of oil). Warm to serve. Fudge sauce will keep for at least a week - factor in the cream shelf life. Firms up in the fridge, just warm to melt. Both the cake and sauce can also be frozen for up to 3 months.Nutrition per serving, assuming 10 servings and all the sauce is consumed. Excludes ice cream.