Chocolate Cake with Blackberries and Pomegranate Syrup

Blackberries and chocolate are such a delicious combination. This fudgy chocolate cake is studded with blackberries and served with rich chocolate ganache and sweet, tangy pomegranate syrup. It really is quite decadent.

The chocolate cake is one I’ve been making for years. It is a simple melt and mix cake that always comes out moist and fudgy.  I often make it and finish with a coating of chocolate ganache, but the addition of blackberries and pomegranate syrup really lifts this cake to a new, luxuriously delectable level.

The pomegranate syrup is easy to make using store-bough pomegranate juice and adds that special sweet tang that really makes this cake taste deliciously unique.  If they’re in season and you want to make the syrup with fresh pomegranates, you’ll need around four, depending on size and juiciness.

Any leftover syrup is delicious drizzled over fruit or ice-cream.

Chocolate Cake with Blackberries and Pomegranate Syrup

A fudgy chocolate cake paired with balckberries , chocolate ganache and pomegranate syrup.

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Servings: 10

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Cake

• 125 g butter, chopped
• 250 ml water
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 125 ml sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 450 g sugar
• 300 g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• pinch of salt
• 250 g blackberries

Chocolate Ganache

• 200 g dark chocolate
• 125 ml cream
• 65 g butter, chopped

Pomegranate Syrup

• 500 ml pomegranate juice
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

Method

 

Make the cake

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C (350F). Line a 22cm ( 8 ½ in) square cake tin with baking paper, leaving two long pieces overhanging. This will make it easier to remove later. You could also use a round spring-form tin here.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water and cocoa powder and simmer over low-medium heat, or until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Set aside.
3. Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the sour cream and vanilla. Whisk until thick and smooth.
4. Place the sugar, flour, bicarbonate soda and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour in the melted butter mixture from the saucepan and mix well. Add the egg mixture and fold through until you have a thick, smooth, chocolate batter.
5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin. Tumble the blackberries over the top, so that they roughly evenly cover the top. You don’t need to be too precise here–think rustic.
6. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the cake is firm to touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Remove and set aside to settle and cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and using the two over-hanging pieces of baking paper, lift the cake out and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Serve warm or room temperature with lashings of chocolate ganache, a drizzle of syrup and extra berries if desired. A spoonful of good vanilla ice cream would be the perfect accompaniment.

Chocolate Ganache

1. Chop the chocolate finely and place into a bowl.
2. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted and cream is almost boiling. Pour over the chocolate and let stand for two minutes. Stir until smooth.
3. Refrigerate to cool a little so it is a thick pourable consistency.
4. (Any chocolate ganache leftover can be stored for a week in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave in short bursts and stir to get it back to a smooth, pouring consistency.)

Pomegranate Syrup

1. Put the pomegranate juice and sugar into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until boiling, then reduce heat a little and continue to simmer, uncovered, until thick and syrupy, around 15 minutes. The mixture will thicken more as it cools.
2. (Any leftover syrup can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a month. Useto jazz up anything from fruit to ice-cream.)

Recipe from my book – The Sweet Life, Home Baking and Sweet Treats Italian Style, New Holland Publishers Images – Locket Photography