World’s Biggest Coffee Morning: luxurious chocolate cake by Ynyshir Hall

With a Michelin star and accolades including AA Hotel of the Year in Wales 2014-15 and a place in the Good Food Guide Top 50 Restaurants 2015-16, you know the food will be good at Ynyshir Hall in Machynlleth.

Head chef Gareth Hall creates innovative modern British tasting menus with a Japanese twist, using home-grown produce and vegetables, as well as the best of British produce.

This chocolate cake has a delicate yet moist texture, thanks to the inclusion of sour cream, while the chocolate glaze gives a sophisticated finish, perfect to impress at any coffee morning.

This recipe is one of six being shared with us by some of Wales’s top chefs and bakers in support of World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. You can see the other recipes here.

You can find out how to host your own coffee morning, or events taking place in your area, here.

Ingredients

For the cake (oven temperature 180degC):

400g plain flour

250g golden caster sugar

100g light muscovado sugar

50g cocoa powder

2tsp baking powder

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs

140ml sour cream

1tbs vanilla extract

175g melted and chilled unsalted butter

125ml sunflower oil

300ml chilled water

For the chocolate glaze

580g water

740g sugar

480g cream

50g gelatine

220g cocoa powder

To make the cakes

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C and line and grease two 8-inch cake tins.
2. Mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl.
3. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla.
4. In another large bowl beat together the melted butter and oil until blended, then add the water.
5. Add the contents of bowl one (the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt). into bowl three (melted butter, oil and water) all at once and slowly mix together.
6. Add the contents of bowl two (eggs, sour cream and vanilla) into the rest of the mixture and then blend together.
7. Divide the mixture evenly between the two 8-inch tins and bake for 50-55 minutes.
8. Turn out to cool completely on wire trays.

To make the glaze

1. Put the cream, water, sugar and cocoa into a large saucepan, bring to the boil and add the gelatine.
2. Blend, pass through a sieve and chill.
3. When the cakes are cool, put the icing in between the sandwich cake layers and around the outside.
4. Decorate with fresh strawberries and sugar twille (or whatever you fancy!)

Ynyshir Hall, Eglwysfach, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 8TA