Simple Double Chocolate Tray Bake

Baking is an incredibly sensory experience which children tend to love, whatever their age and this simple tray bake tastes great, is easy to make and offers a great activity you can share with your child or children.

My daughter is a mere 17 months, yet she enjoyed mixing, sieving, pouring the cake batter into the cake tin and, yes of course she licked the bowl afterwards.

Obviously keep the children away from the boiling water and the hot oven!

You could have it plain, or add the white chocolate cream cheese icing as I did here.

Simple Double Chocolate Tray Bake

Here's how:

• Sponge recipe:
• 50g Cocoa powder (I use Cadbury’s Bournville)
• 6 tbsp boiling water
• 100g butter
• 270g caster sugar
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 125ml milk
• 3 large eggs

Icing:

• 200g white chocolate
• Drop vanilla essence
• 3 squares milk chocolate
• 150g cream cheese (Philadelphia is good)

Firstly grease a baking tin and line with baking paper and pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees.

Now sieve the cocoa into a small bowl and pour in the boiled water, stirring straight away to make a paste.

Add the butter next and beat till smooth, then add the sugar and flour and do the same again, then beat the eggs in, one at a time.

You should by now have a silky molten looking cake batter. Pour this into the cake tin and move the tin around to ensure it is evenly distributed.

Now bake for 30-35 minutes or till well risen and cooked through. If pierced with a skewer, it should come out dry.

Remove from the tin and allow to cool for thirty minutes.

In the meantime, use 3 squares of the white chocolate and the three squares of milk chocolate and grate for decoration, set aside.

Now melt the remaining white chocolate above some boiling water in a bowl until silky and rich.

Now add the Philadelphia and stir through with the vanilla essence.

Spoon onto the cake and use a palette knife to spread evenly. Finally scatter over the grated chocolate and cut into even squares. Enjoy!

Bridget loving baking!