[CapeTownMommy]

I can't share my favourite one (sworn to secrecy), but I'll post this AWESOME dark chocolate one:

Dense chocolate loaf cake (from Nigella's "How to be a domestic goddess"):

1 cup soft unsalted butter
1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (must be very good quality)
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons boiling water
9x5 inch loaf pan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease and line the loaf pan. You MUST line the pan because the cake is very damp and very likely stick.

Cream butter and sugar and add eggs and vanilla, beating well. Fold in melted and slightly cooled chocolate, blend well but don't overbeat. You want to combine the ingredients, you don't want a light airy mass. Combine flour and baking soda. Then gently add the flour alternately spoon by spoon with the boiling water to the batter. In other words, add a spoon of flour, mix, then a spoon of water, mix, etc. until you have a smooth and fairly liquid batter.

Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 325 and bake for 15 more minutes. The cake will still be a bit moist inside so a skewer inserted won't come out completely clean.

Let the cake cool down completely before turning it out. It will sink a bit in the middle. It improves over the next day or so.

You don't need to ice it at all, but it's awesome with vanilla cream or strawberries and ice-cream as dessert.