Caramel Mud Cake

I don't remember this photo below, but it looks like my favorite cake, and the cake which really got me into baking for others. This is a caramel mud cake with caramel icing. Rich, moist and oh so delicious. Many thanks to my roommates and Mr's who enjoyed the early versions of this, and really got my engine going for baking cakes.

I don't remember the exact icing recipe, but it is rather forgiving to you'll be right!

Caramel Mud cake

Serves: 8 (in the same way a pizza feeds four...)
Prep Time: 20-60 minutes
Cooking Time: 70 minutes

Ingredients:

Melted butter, to grease
200g butter, cubed
200g white chocolate (Nestle brand), chopped
200g (1 cup, firmly packed) dark brown sugar
180ml (3/4 cup) hot water
1 tbs golden syrup
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs, at room temperature
150g (1 cup) plain flour
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
Icing sugar, to dust

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Brush a round 22cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter. Line base and side with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place butter, chocolate, sugar, water, golden syrup and vanilla essence in a heavy-based saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat with a wooden spoon for 5 mins or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Set aside for 20 mins to cool.
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift combined flours over chocolate mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
4. Pour mixture into pan and bake in preheated oven for 50-60 mins or until a skewer comes out almost clean.
5. Stand cake for 20 mins before turning onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar or...

Icing method:

1. Melt roughly a cup of white chocolate chips, a 2-4 table spoons of dark brown icing sugar, half a stick of butter and some cream (say 1/4 cup and update to make thickness fit), whisking to mix.
2. Add additional cream to make thinner or let cool to make thicker
3. Spread over cake.

Pro-Tip:

Place butter, chocolate, sugar, water, golden syrup and vanilla essence in a heatproof microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave, uncovered, on High/800watts/100%, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 3-4 mins until chocolate melts.