Serves 12
Ingredients
260g butter, softened
260g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 medium good quality eggs, lightly beaten
⅓ cup cocoa
1 cup water
310g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Filling
150g butter
225g chocolate (66%)
500g plums, stoned and cut into pieces
1 Tbsp sugar
Ganache
120ml cream
150g dark chocolate (55%)
Method
Grease and line a 25cm springform tin.
Preheat the oven to 160degC.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the eggs, continue to beat until well combined and light in texture.
Mix the cocoa with boiling water and mix well, ensuring you remove all the lumps.
Pour the cocoa mixture into the batter and mix well to combine.
Sift the dry ingredients and fold through the batter.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out.
While the cake is cooling you need to cook the plums to a thick pulp.
Add the plums with 1 tablespoon of sugar to a heavy-based saucepan and cook over a gentle heat until the plum juices start to appear and the fruit becomes pulpy (5 minutes). Turn off the heat and let it cool.
To make the filling: Melt 150g butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat. Roughly chop the chocolate and add to the butter and stir to smooth consistency. Set aside to cool.
Add the plums and stir through.
To assemble the cake: Even off the top so it is flat.
Cut the cake evenly in half, horizontally.
Spread the plum and chocolate mixture over one half and sandwich the other on top. Make sure the cake is even from top to bottom and around the sides
To make the ganache (icing): Heat the cream to just boiling. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until smooth and glossy.
Place the cake on a cooling rack over a tray.
Pour over the ganache starting at the centre of the cake. Allow to spread over the cake. Use a spatula to smooth over the sides and to even the top.
Set the ganache in the fridge.
The cake will last for up to 3-4 days.
