3 cups Self raising flour
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the middle

2 cups water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 grated apples
Pinch bicarbonate of soda
Splash vanilla essence

Pour all the wet ingredients into the well and stir in thoroughly with a wooden
spoon.  Pour into a greased and floured 26cm springform cake tin, and bake
at 180º C for approximately an hour and a half, or until the cake pulls away
from the sides of the tin and a skewer through the heart of the cake pulls
out dry.

**Chef Shane's tip - As an alternative, this mixture also works extremely
well, and is in fact lighter and fluffier, when made in muffin trays!**

Cut in half horizontally and layer with Ganache (recipe follows) in the
middle, on top and the sides.
 

Place all the ingredients together in a metal bowl, and rest that over a pot of boiling water.  Stir the mixture well as it starts to melt, to combine fully until its completely liquid.  Allow to cool slightly (this will firm the ganache up a little and make it easier to work with).

**Chef Shane's tip - to assemble the cake with the layered topping, return
one layer of your chocolate cake to the springform tin, then pour in a layer
of chocolate ganache.  Top with the second layer of cake then pour ganache
over the top, and refrigerate.  Once the ganache on the cake has set, remove the sides of the cake tin, soften the ganache in the double boiler again or in the microwave on a medium heat setting (once again, do NOT over heat it or it will burn and be unusable), and run a palette knife or plastic spatula loaded with the mixture around the sides of the cake.  You can clean up any rough edges a little by dipping your palette knife in very hit water, drying it quickly on a towel, then using the hot metal to smooth the edges out.  Remember that water is the natural enemy of chocolate, and even a drop into a bowl of melted chocolate will ruin the lot!**

Return the cake to the fridge to set, then prepare to indulge!

 

PS - If you can't be bothered making this delicious cake yourself, you can
always find it at Nigel Seberry's PIZZA WITH ATTITUDE takeaway gourmet pizza & pasta restaurant in Kensington, Perth, Western Australia.

Nigel - a finalist in 2004 and 2005's Caboolture Cheese Pizza Competition, makes what I consider to be the best pizzas in town BAR NONE!!  He also played a major part in training me as a chef back in the old days (so you can blame him), including teaching me this simple cake recipe!!

Find his menu at www.pizzawithattitude.com.au.