Chocolate Mud Cake - very easy, super thick and moist

I've tried baking many many MANY mud cake and chocolate cake recipes over the years, recipes from scratch, recipes using boxed packets, recipes others recommended on the internet and FINALLY have found what I feel is the perfect, super thick, moist, delicious chocolate mud cake recipe EVER.  It always works (even if you don't measure the ingredients perfectly), and you can simply double it if you want to do a huge tin. 

It is extra especially delicious if you make the chocolate ganache to go on top!  Basically if you see chocolate on sale - buy two blocks and you can make this with the icing.  Soooooo good, your friends and family will be begging you to bring it to events.  AND you will never want to buy another mud cake again because you will have this SECRET recipe!

Ingredients

Cake

• 250g butter
• 200g dark chocolate
• 375ml strong coffee ( I used really hot water with 3 tablespoons instant coffee - or for a less "coffee" hit, I usually use two tablespoons of either chocolate milo or chocolate nesquik and one of coffee)
• 450g caster sugar
• 175g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
 
Ganache

• 100g good dark chocolate broken into squares
• 1/2 cup cream

Instructions

 Cake

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan-forced and grease and line with baking paper your cake tin
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter, chocolate and coffee over low heat, stirring, until the chocolate has dissolved.
3. Add the sugar to the pot and stir it in until it has dissolved too.
4. Pour the mixture into a heat-proof bowl.
5. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder over the top and whisk them into the liquid then whisk in the eggs then the vanilla.
6. Once everything is combined, pour the batter into the cake tin.
7. Bake the cake for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.

Ganache

1. Place chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Stir until melted and glossy.
3. Refrigerate until cool (or pour over your cake when it's just a little bit cooler - I usually do this because I can't be bothered waiting and it makes a really beautiful glossy smooth coating).

Use as a filling for biscuits or as a rich icing over mud cake or brownies. Makes 3/4 cup