Ingredients
Method
Chocolate Traybake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180℃/160°Fan/Gas 4
- Grease and line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and soft.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the self-rising flour and cocoa powder till well combined. Make sure there are not pockets of dry cocoa before adding to the batter.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the batter until smooth and fully combined.The mixture should be thick, not runny.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly into the corners.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean or with a few soft crumbs.
- Turn out onto a wire rack upside down and cool completely before adding the topping and slicing.
Notes
Use room-temperature butter and eggs for the smoothest batter and best rise.
When folding in the flour and cocoa powder, mix gently to avoid a tough cake texture.
The baked cake should feel quite firm when baked. Test with a skewer to make sure it is fully baked. Test at 20/25/30 minutes if you are unsure. 30 minutes should be plenty of time as any longer could result in burning.
Let the cake cool completely before adding the chocolate topping.Otherwise the topping will melt off the cake and lead to a mess
For neat slices, allow the topping to fully set. Wipe the knife between cuts.
This traybake freezes very well. Freeze whole or sliced without the topping for best results.The topping will not taste bad if you freeze it but it may develop a bloom and change texture.