Carole Food.

Chocolate Chip Cake

This is a tender vanilla cake studded with chocolate chips and a crackly sugar topping. It’s delicious as is, but would make an excellent dessert too with some ice cream, cream or custard. This is a simple one layer cake and it’s one of my favourite things to bake. I hope it’ll end up being a favourite of yours too! 

I used a heart shaped tin here, but a standard round tin will also work perfectly. This makes a pretty small cake (perfect for two!), however you could easily double the recipe and make two 6 inch cakes instead.

What ingredients do you need for this dish (includes possible substitutions)? 

Unsalted butter: the butter should be nice and soft prior to making the cake, and make sure the butter is unsalted, not salted!

Caster sugar: caster sugar or granulated sugar will both work. 

Egg: any type of (chicken) egg will do! 

Vanilla essence: vanilla paste is also a great alternative, or fresh vanilla if you have it.

Full fat yoghurt: only use full fat yoghurt (greek or plain is fine). If you don’t have yoghurt, sour cream would also work. 

Plain flour: plain flour ensures a tender crumb. 

Baking powder: not negotiable, needed to help the cake rise! 

Salt: I find a pinch of salt is great in most baked goods. 

Whole milk: use whole milk here (not skimmed). 

Chocolate chips: mini chocolate chips would be ideal here, as they’re less likely to sink. You can use dark or milk chocolate depending on what you prefer! My preference is to use a good quality milk chocolate. 

What to serve this with? 

This is a perfect cake to eat by itself. But it would also make an excellent dessert too. It would be delicious with some cream, custard or ice cream. 

Instructions 

Preheat oven and line tin

Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan. Grease a 6inch cake tin with butter then line the bottom of the tin with baking paper. 

Beat the butter and sugar 

Using a standing mixer or handheld electric whisk, beat the butter and 85g of the sugar until light and fluffy. This will take a good few minutes. Scrape down the bowl well. 

Add the egg

Add the egg and beat on a high speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. 

Add vanilla and yoghurt 

Add the vanilla and yoghurt then beat for a further 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. 

Add dry ingredients 

Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat on low to incorporate. 

Pour in the milk 

Pour in the milk and beat on low until all the ingredients are fully combined. Scrape down the bowl one final time! 

Fold in the chocolate chips 

Fold in half of the chocolate chips. Spoon half of the batter into the cake tin, then sprinkle over the rest of the chocolate chips. Spoon in the rest of the batter. 

Sprinkle with sugar 

Sprinkle over the 2 tbsp of caster sugar then place the cake in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until golden on top and when a skewer is inserted into the cake it should come out mostly clean (a few crumbs are fine).