Ingredients
Cake:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Vanilla essence
Chocolate ganache and raspberry topping:
240g bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped (I combine a dark chocolate and a milk chocolate if I can’t find a 60% option)
1 cup whipping/double cream (I combine whipping cream and double thick cream that you get from woolies)
Seedless raspberry or cherry jam, stirred to loosen
2 180g containers fresh raspberries or cherries
Powdered sugar
Special equipment: 2 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides
Method
Cake:
Position racks in top and bottom third of oven; preheat to 175°c. Coat two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; spray rounds. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl; whisk to blend and form well in center. Whisk 1 cup water, buttermilk, oil, and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Pour wet ingredients into well in dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Divide cake batter between prepared pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes/50 one pan. (If cakes form domes, place kitchen towel atop hot cakes, then press gently with palm of hand to level.) Cool completely in pans on cooling racks.
For chocolate ganache and raspberry topping:
Place chopped chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream just to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Pour over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until ganache is melted and smooth. Transfer to small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ganache is thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.