Written by LC200

* For the cake
*

* 75g plain flour
* 150g SR flour
* 95g cocoa powder
* 175g unsalted butter, softened
* 350g golden caster sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 3 large eggs
* 75ml soured cream at room temp
* 175ml milk at room temp
*

* For the icing
* 150g min 51% cocoa solids, 72% makes a bitter icing, anything lower is slightly sweeter
* small tub single cream
* 60g unsalted butter cut into small cubes
* 3 rounded tbsp apricot jam

Preheat the oven to 180c, gas mark 4.

For the cake, first of all sieve the flours and cocoa together in a bowl. Next, in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together with an eletric whisk until really light and creamy - about 5 mins. Then add the eggs one by one, beating well in between each addition. Now beat in the soured cream and milk, the mixture will look curdled but that’s not a problem. Finally, sift over half of the flour mixture, and lightly fold it in with a metal spoon before adding the remainder, to make a softish consistency that will easily drop from the spoon.

Next put the mixture into a 8in cake tin, lightly oiled and lined with baking parchment and the sides dusted with an equal mix of flour and sugar. Make a gentle hollow in the middle with the back of a spoon. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 60-65 mins or until risen and when a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean. Cover with a double layer of wet baking parchment during the last 10 minutes to stop the cake from over-browning. Remove and allow the cake to rest in its tin for 10 mins before turning it out on a wire rack to cook, ensuring the flattest side is uppermost.

Make the icing while the cake is cooling. Put the chocolate and butter in a small heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Leave it to melt for about 5 mins then remove and leave to cool for 10-15 mins before adding the cream. Let the mixture cool for about 20-30 mins until it has thickened up enough to coat the cake without running off.

Heat the jam in a small pan until melted, then liberally brush all over the cake. Put a tray or plate beneath the cake, pour over the truffle icing and spread it over using a pallette knife. Leave the icing to firm up for a few mins.