American Chocolate Cake For Europeans

• CAKE:
• Sunflower oil or butter to grease the cake tins
• 2 cups (500ml) sifted plain flower
• 1 cup (250ml) unsweetened chocolate powder
• 1.25 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 0.5 teaspoons baking powder
• .75 teaspoons salt
• 1.5 cups golden brown sugar
• 250g unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 250ml buttermilk (or 1 pot natural yogurt + whole milk - to make 250ml in total)
• 0.5 cups (125ml) warm water
• 1 cup (250ml) dark chocolate (at least 70& chocolate) broken into tiny pieces
• FROSTING
• 670g dark and milk chocolate. 50/50% works well - but it's up to you...
• 1.5 cups (375ml) sugar
• 0.5 cups (125ml) water
• 2.25 cups (560ml) double cream

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Oil or butter two 24cm cake tins. Cut baking paper to fit the bottoms of the 2 tins.
3. Mix the flour, soda, baking powder, salt and chocolate powder.
4. Beat the butter and brown sugar till light. Mix in each egg - mixing. Beat in the vanilla. Mix in a third of the flour mix and the butter milk mix. Mix. Then another third of each. Mix. Then the last third of each. Mix. Beat in the warm water. Mix in the tiny chocolate pieces.
5. Divide batter into the 2 cake tins - and bake for about 30 minutes till a skewer comes out clean. Cool on racks.
6. For the frosting:
7. Put the sugar and water in a pan - and heat without stirring until it turns an amber colour. Turn off the heat - and slowly add the cream. It will bubble vigourously. Turn the heat back on low, and mix until any solid bits of caramel have melted.
8. Put the chocolate in pieces in a bowl - and pour the caramel mixture over it. Leave it to melt a little - then slowly mix it to a smooth consistency.
9. Put this in the fridge to set.
10. After about 2 hours, take it out, and let it temper for 1 hour. Then mix it as much as you can to lighten it slightly, then spread it between and over the 2 cake halves.

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Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/american-chocolate-cake-for-europeans-50036136 (may not work)