chocolate wasabi fudge cake

Take this:

and this:

and a bunch of other usual cake ingredients, and you get this:

TS and I shared a chocolate wasabi cake on our very first date, nearly two years ago. It has always reminded me of that sweet time of getting to know each other, gazing at each other shyly across the table, reaching for the same part of the cake at the same time and having our forks clink together.

I made it in honour of Lulu and Shun, who were married today. And for baby Madeleine, who came home from hospital yesterday. What a happy day today has been!

~~

Wasabi Chocolate Cake
Originally sourced from AboutMyArea but I have modified slightly for my own tastes

Ingredients

For the cake

400g plain flour

250g caster sugar

100g brown sugar

75g cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

3 eggs

1 150g tub Total 0% Greek Yoghurt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

300ml ice water

For the Wasabi fudge icing

100g dark chocolate

250g unsalted butter

275g icing sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1-2 tsp Wasabi paste,(to taste)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/gas 4. Butter and line with grease proof paper the bottom of two 20 com sandwich tins.

2. In a large bowl mix together the flour, cocoa, sugars, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda.

3. In a large jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Add melted butter and ice water.

5 Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and beat in well.

6. Divide the batter between the two prepared tins and bake the cake for 50 - 55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.

7. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes, if you try to ice it before it's cool your icing will melt and become greasy.

8. To make the icing, melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly.

9. In another bowl beat the butter until soft and creamy and combine the sifted icing sugar. Beat until smooth and then add the cooled chocolate, vanilla and Wasabi. Beat until smooth and glossy, check the strength of the Wasabi and add more if necessary. I liked it to have a distinct heat!

10. Using about ¼ of the icing sandwich the cake together and place of a serving dish the ice the top and sides of the cake.

Note: this cake improves on keeping, so if you can make it advance, ice it, wrap in foil and leave in the fridge for two days before eating. The crumb gets more moist and the icing gets thick and creamy. So good!