Bitter Cocoa Chocolate Cake

This is the final cake in the "Best Chococlate Cake" search! It comes from my best friend's mother, Rita, who is a talented cook. The cake itself was rather bitter; but balanced with the sweet icing. Whilst it doesn't win the "best" title, it was still enjoyable.  You will find the recipe below in the post.

I guess you're wondering what cake won the title of "Best Chocolate Cake?" Well, there are two winners! Firstly, if you love rich, dense and chocolately cakes then the Best Chocolate Cake for you is Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Cake.  This one didn't even need icing it was that good!  I'm serious, about 15 people tasted all these cakes; and this one was the most popular.  Now, if you like things a little lighter, yet still very chocolately and satisfying...the best one is Women's Weekly Smooth Chocolate Cake.  This was still dense, but in a more "cakey" way instead of Nigella's more "brownie dense" texture.  I also think it's necessary to give a special title of "Best Chocolate Icing" and this goes to Nigella's Sour Cream Chocolate Icing.  It is "mouthfillingly smooth" and so easy to enjoy.

Thank you for following the Best Chocolate Cake search! If you try any of the cakes, I'd love to know.  Below is the recipe for the last chocolate cake in the search:

Ingredients
125g unsalted butter
1/2 caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp drinking chocolate
1/2 cup milk

Ingredients for Icing
85g unsalted butter
1/3 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp milk

Method

Preheat oven 180C. Grease cake tin. Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs graudally, beating after every addition. Add essence and beat until combined. Using a metal spoon, fold in sifted dry ingredients alterntaely with milk. Stir until just combined. Put in tin and smooth surface. Bake for 30 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Leave in tin 10 mins then transfer to wire rack. To make the icing, beat butter, sugar and cocoa until light and creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Beat until smooth and spread over cooled cake.