The combination of dark chocolate and rum (my preference is Old Monk) is a match made in heaven. We used to make rum-filled chocolate bonbons for Christmas, which had a sense of festivity to them. Making these babies meant the house would smell of luxurious dark chocolate, with a delightful tinge of rum filling out the aroma.
Everyone must have an easy-to-make, no-fuss chocolate cake recipe that can be whipped up in minutes. This is me sharing my recipe with you. But to take it up a notch, the addition of rum and Christmas sprinkles gives this humble recipe a makeover like no other. You could add brandy or even peppermint liqueur, but I personally love this combination. As it is so simple to make, I love baking this recipe at midnight as it makes the house smell like Christmas when you wake up the next morning.
The best part about this recipe is that you only need one large mixing bowl and a whisk to whip up the cake batter, meaning bare-minimum wash-up. You dump all the ingredients into the bowl and mix until combined. DONE! I have used two types of baking trays: a mini-loaf silicon mould and a large loaf tin. It keeps in the freezer for up to one month and can be warmed up in the microwave when ready to eat with some vanilla ice cream.
Happy baking!
Recipe
Ingredients:
• 2 cups plain flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups caster sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup yoghurt
• ¾ cup hot water
• ¼ cup Christmas sprinkles
• ½ cup rum
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a large loaf tin with a drop of vegetable oil and buttered paper round the sides.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients and whisk together till combined. Add all the wet ingredients, except the hot water, into the dry mixture. Mix until combined.
- Add the hot water, but don’t over-mix.
- Pour into the prepared, lined tin and top with the sprinkles.
- Bake for 30–32 minutes, or until the top is cracked and risen.
- When warm out of the oven, pour over the rum and leave to soak in the tin. Once cooled, remove from the tin and slice evenly.
- Best served warm with vanilla ice cream.
