Chocolate Yoghurt Cake

We’re on the hunt for from scratch chocolate cake recipes, and Tara Booth sent this to us. We reckon it sounds like a winner, give it a spin and let us know what you think.

Ingredients (makes about 18 small cupcakes or one large square cake)
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 ounces) butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup yoghurt* (or sour cream, or a combination)

Method
Heat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with yoghurt. Beat just until smooth.

Turn batter into prepared pans or into cupcake papers. Bake mini muffin size 10 minutes and baby loaf size 15 minutes. You can also make one big cake, in which case bake until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake, and let the cake/s cool in the pan/s. Frost cooled cakes and top with mini chocolate chips or sprinkles if desired.

Mocha Buttercream Frosting (this frosting works best when paired with a ‘plain’ yoghurt cake)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter, softened
1/4 cup (about 3 ounces)
semi-sweet chocolate chips OR dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (or not)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
About 1 Tablespoon milk

Melt chocolate chips and a small amount of the butter in the microwave. In a small bowl, beat remaining butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla, then cocoa powder, espresso powder, melted chocolate, and enough milk to make desired consistency. Be sure to dissolve granulated coffee powder properly.

If the frosting sets en-ice (and thickens) microwave it on high for 30 seconds until runny again. And, if you want to make this even naughtier – substitute the tablespoon of milk for 1 tablespoon of dark rum, or Nachtmusik.

D-e-licious!

* You can use any flavour of yoghurt you like. The DairyBelle Hazelnut Praline Double Cream is particularly good, but so is strawberry/mixed berry for a subtle fruity flavour. You can also use plain yoghurt and have it simply chocolatey (of course, no chocolate cake is complete without a frosting of some kind).