Louis Vuitton handbag cake

So I have just put the chocolate mud cake into the oven.  Just enough time to update on progress.  Had a bit of a nightmare yesterday with the white chocolate part of the cake!  The whole thing is now in the bin!!!

Anyway, I used the following recipe for the dark chocolate mud cake (courtesy of Exclusively Food):

250g chocolate (we use 125g dark chocolate and 125g milk chocolate)
250g butter (if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt with the butter)
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules/powder
188ml (3/4 cup) water
325g (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons) plain flour
30g (1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons) cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
550g (2 1/2 cups) caster sugar
4 large eggs (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
2 tablespoons (40ml) oil (we use peanut oil, but any mild-flavoured oil could be used)
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
125ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk


Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (not fan-forced).

Grease the side and base of a deep 23cm or 24cm diameter (inside top measurement) round cake pan. We use a springform pan for easy removal of the cake. Line base and side of the pan with non-stick baking paper, extending the paper a few centimetres above the top rim of the pan.

Place 250g chocolate, butter, coffee and water in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. When chocolate and butter have melted, remove mixture from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm/room temperature.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda together into a very large bowl.  Add the caster sugar to the bowl with the flour mixture, and stir the ingredients together until well combined. For this recipe, we prefer to use a whisk to stir ingredients together.

In a medium bowl, place eggs, oil, vanilla and buttermilk.  Whisk the wet ingredients together until well combined.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined. 

Add the chocolate mixture to the egg and flour mixture in a three batches, stirring until combined after each addition.

Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (24cm pan) or 1 hour and 30 minutes (23cm pan). Insert a thin-bladed knife or wooden skewer into the centre of the cake to test whether it is cooked through. If the knife/skewer comes out clean or with moist crumbs (not gooey batter) attached, the cake is ready.
Remove cake from oven, cover with a clean tea towel and allow to cool in the pan.
As this is a handbag cake I have used a rectangular tin 7" x 11" x 3".  Quantities and baking times remain the same.

Stay tuned for update on dark chocolate cake and progress on white chocolate cake!  Wish me luck...