• 1 2/3 cup Self Raising flour (250 grams)

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder, tightly packed (65 grams)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/3 cup caster sugar (300 grams)

• Pinch salt

• 3 eggs

• ½ cup mild olive oil or vegetable oil (125 ml)

• ¾ cup buttermilk (or full cream milk + 1 tablespoon cider vinegar)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

• 1 cup (250ml) hot water or coffee (250 ml)

This sauce is runny and best to pour over warm cake and serve with ice cream.

• 250 grams dark cooking chocolate, chopped or choc melts/chips

• 1 cup thickened whipping cream or double cream

This ganache is thicker and best used for icing your cake. If you'd like a sweet icing add 1/4 cup icing mixture and 1 tablespoon of butter.

• 250 grams dark cooking chocolate, chopped or choc melts/chips

• 1/3 cup thickened whipping cream or double cream

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a 23cm square cake tin or 20cm deep round tin or 2 x20cm shallow round tins or double the recipe if you want to fill a 22 x33cm slab tin.

Combine dry ingredients

2. In a large bowl sift flour, cocoa and baking soda. Add the salt and sugar and mix well. 

Combine wet ingredients

3. In another bowl lightly beat eggs. Add the vanilla, olive oil, buttermilk and mix well. Add the hot coffee or water slowly while whisking continually. This will prevent the eggs from scrambling.

4. Combine wet and dry ingredients.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't overmix. Don't worry if there are lumps.

5. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin/s. Cook for about 45 minutes if it's in 1 tin and about 30 minutes if it's in 2 tins. You know when it's done if you lightly press the top of the cake and it bounces back even if it leaves a little indentation it's cooked. Or insert a skewer if it comes out clean, it's ready. Remember it will keep cooking when you remove it from the oven.

6. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge. Turn the cake onto a cooling rack and turn it onto a cooling rack. Make sure the cake is completely cool before icing. Or eat it warm, fresh out of the oven with glass of cold milk.

7. Once the cake is at room temperature or cooler transfer it to a serving plate. Top with ganache icing. Or serve with ganache sauce salted caramel or warmed biscoff spread.

In a microwave safe bowl heat cream for about a minute and 15 seconds. It should be steaming. Stir to cool slightly. Add chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a minute or 2 and then stir, stir, stir until it comes together into a glossy sauce. It will go through a stage where it looks like chocolate milk, keep stirring, it will become dark and thick. You can add a sprinkle of salt.