Best ever chocolate cake

Cooking time More than 1 hour Cuisine Modern Australian Healthy options Healthy Low carb Serves 8
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Ingredients

cup good quality cocoa powder cup hot water 275g unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups caster sugar 5 eggs 3 cups self-raising flour teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1 cup buttermilk 200g block of dark chocolate for curls and gold leaf, to decorate 12 Fererro Rocher chocolates Ganache 800g dark cooking chocolate, chopped (63 per cent Cocoa couverture) 600ml thickened cream

Preparation method
Pre-heat oven 180C/160C (fan-forced) Grease 2 x 20cm round cake pans and line bases and sides with baking paper. Place cocoa powder in a medium bowl, gradually whisk in hot water until smooth.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Gradually add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition; occasionally scrapping down sides of bowl. Gradually pour in cocoa mixture, beating until well combined. Sift flour with bicarbonate of soda, fold into butter mixture. Stir in milk. Spoon batter evenly between prepared pans, smooth over tops. Place Fererro Rocher chocolates over top of cakes and push down slightly. Cook cakes in same oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until cooked; when a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Stand cakes in pans for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. To make ganache, stir chocolate and cream over a low heat in a large saucepan until just melted. Remove, refrigerate until a spreadable consistency. Place one cake on a serving plate. Spread top with a one cup of ganache, top with other cake. Spread remaining ganache over top and side of cake. Decorate with dark chocolate curls and gold leaf. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cheesy potato bake

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Cheesy potato bake

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Photography by Louise Lister The cheesy sauce on this potato bake has impressed many a Taste.com.au member. Try it tonight and tell us what you think!

Ingredients (serves 4)

60g butter 1/4 cup plain flour 2 1/3 cups milk 2 cups grated tasty cheese 1.2kg Sebago potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 6cm deep, 24cm square baking dish. 2. Melt butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove from heat. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until well combined. Return to heat. Cook, stirring, until sauce comes to the boil. 3. Add 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Stir to combine. 4. Arrange one-third of potatoes, overlapping slightly, over base of baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon one-third of the cheese sauce over potatoes. Repeat twice. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender and top is golden. If top begins to brown too much, cover with foil.