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NEXT week is my daughter鈥檚 5th birthday party, and she has high expectations for her cake. It has to be extremely chocolatey, but it must also be a 鈥減i帽ata cake鈥�, meaning that when you cut into it, sweets cascade out. It will also have to be large, to serve 30 children and their chaperones.

My big worry is that it could end up very dry. To achieve the required size and the pi帽ata effect, I will have to bake at least three large layers, but I will also have to cut out the middle of the cake, which, as we all know, is the best part, leaving only the drier edges.

So how do I give myself the best chance of avoiding a dry cake? First, the recipe. I am choosing one with lots of wet ingredients to help boost moisture levels. When it comes to the fat you use in baking, the most common choices are oil or butter. I normally go for butter because it is more delicious, but oil is liquid at room temperature, which means a softer sponge. So, I am including both, as well as buttermilk for more moisture.

To make it really chocolatey, I will use both a good-quality cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate. Using cocoa means a bit less flour is required, and the chocolate is higher in fat, so it should add to the richness and moisture. Adding coffee also helps to amplify the chocolate flavour. Melt the chocolate and the butter together in a pan with the coffee and the water, then set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the combined eggs, oil, buttermilk and melted chocolate and stir until combined. Avoid overmixing as this can cause an excess of gluten strands, which leads to a tougher texture.

Now onto the baking. A cake bakes from the outside in, which is why the edges tend to be drier than the middle. To counter this, I have been testing ways to keep the edge of the cake cooler in the oven. My preferred option is to create a collar around the tin that protects and cools the edges as it bakes. You can buy special baking strips for this, but I prefer making my own. Take a piece of paper towel that is at least as long as the circumference of your tin. Wet it completely and then squeeze out most of the water. Unravel it gently, and lay on a piece of tin foil of the same length. You might need to fold the towel in half along the length, so it is about the same height as your tin. Then fold the tin foil over the paper towel until it is encased within the foil and wrap this collar around your tin. Grease the inside of the tin, line with baking parchment and pour in your mix. Bake in a 160掳C (320掳F) oven for around 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

For a pi帽ata cake, use a round cake cutter or knife to remove the middle of each cake except the top layer. Fill this hole with candy, pop the final layer on top to conceal it, and decorate. Then watch as 30 children destroy it!

Catherine de Lange is the editor of New Scientist and听an听avid baker

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