250 gm butter 200 gm dark cooking chocolate 1/4 cup sweet sherry 2 cups castor sugar 2 cups plain flour 1 tspn baking powder pinch of salt 2 eggs 1 cup drinking chocolate or sweetened cocoa, made with boiling waterPreheat the oven to medium (170 °C).
Liberally grease a large baba mould with butter (or maybe use a smaller ring tin and make a second loaf cake from the extra mixture).
Put the butter and chocolate, both chopped into smallish pieces, into a large bowl and start to melt them together, either over boiling water or in the microwave. Once they are soft and starting to melt, make up the drinking chocolate or cocoa and pour it over the chocolate and butter mixture, then leave it stand for 10 minutes, until it has all melted.
Add the sugar and sherry, then let it stand another 10 minutes.
Beat the mixture on a slow speed, until it is really smooth.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add them to the chocolate mixture, and beat at high speed until well mixed. Add the eggs and beat well.
Pour into prepared tin(s). If you are making a single large ring cake, it takes about 1.5 hours. If you are making two smaller cakes, cook for about 1 hour.
Leave the cake(s) to cool completely in the tin(s). When cold, turn out and coat with chocolate ganashe.