Have your cake and eat it!

Aaron has been asking to make a cake the whole week so I looked into the cupboard and found that I didnt have my trusty Moirscake mix, I did have flour, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and milk so I figured I would try making a cake from scratch.  Aaron wanted a chocolate cake so I found some cocoa powder too.

I found a recipe for a chocolate butter sponge in an old International Goodwill Cookbook (7th edition).  I made a few small adjustments but it turned out really well.

Ingredients:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup castor sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla ( I just poured in a splash)
  • 1 ¼ cup flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt (I threw in a ‘pinch’)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder (I use 3 teaspoons but I know in my kitchen I have to increase baking powder)
  • 1 heaped tablespoon cocoa
  • ½ cup milk
  • 45g butter

Method:

  • Beat eggs, add sugar gradually, add vanilla and beat with a hand held beater for 3 minutes.
  • Sift dry ingredients 4 times (at this point I have to ask whose socks the creator of this recipe was smoking, I sifted the flour once, straight into the wet ingredients, that was it!), and stir into egg mixture, blending thoroughly.
  • Bring milk and butter to the boil and add to mixture.
  • Mix well with an electric beater.
  • Pour into 1 large or two small tins and bake at 180°C for 40min (large tin) or 25min (small tins).
  • Allow to cool before icing.

For the icing I decided to make a ganache.  Mainly because I had some bitter sweet chocolate from Pesach and I wanted a really chocolaty icing.  Unfortunately I didnt have any cream so I used margarine (purist dont hate me, I know its not even BUTTER!!!) instead.

Ingredients:

  • 250g bitter sweet chocolate
  • 250g margerine
  • icing sugar to thicken

Method:

  • Break chocolate into pieces and place in a microwavable bowl.
  • Add margarine.
  • Place bowl in microwave for about 1min depending on microwave strength.
  • Mix the icing until the chocolate is melted into the marge.  You may need to nuke it a bit longer.
  • Once the icing is melted add a bit of icing sugar and mix.
  • Keep adding icing sugar until you reach the thickness you want.
  • This icing will also thicken/harden as it cools, so you may want to leave it to cool down before adding any icing sugar.
  • Once its ready layer it onto the cake, starting in the middle and spreading it towards the sides.
  • It may drip over the sides or you may need to spread it depending on thickness.

Eat and enjoy!

Chocolaty goodness!!

The easiest yummiest cake recipe ever!

I have to thank my mommy-in-law for this one!

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What you will need:

Cake

1 x box/packet vanilla cake mix (I use Moirs)

1 x instant vanilla pudding (again Moirs but any brand will do)

4 x large eggs

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup oil

1 x mixing bowl

1 x Pirex or glass dish (oblong bakes more evenly than round)

Icing

1 x cup sifted icing sugar

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 measuring jug

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How to make the cake:

Heat the oven to 180C

Pour dry cake mix and dry pudding into the mixing bowl, add the 4 eggs, add the water and oil.

Mix until smooth and there are no lumps.

Oil/butter/Spray&Cook your glass dish.

Pour batter into dish and bake at 180C for about half an hour.

Cake should be brown and springy to the touch.

While the cake is baking, sift the icing sugar into the measuring cup and add about 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and mix.

The mixture shouldn’t be too runny.

As soon as you take the cake out the oven pour the icing over the cake and spread it around so that it covers the whole cake.

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The cake can be eaten hot with custard or ice cream or if you prefer a cool cake, I suggest you make the cake a day before and let the icing sink into the flesh of the cake, this makes it sticky and gooey all the way through.

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An alternative to vanilla and lemon is chocolate and orange.  Substitute chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding for the vanilla and use orange juice instead of lemon (be sure to strain the orange juice so it is clear and free of any pulp).

I have to choose only one?

Being Brazen is holding yet another fantastic, right-up-my-alley giveaway!

All I have to do is tell her my favourite kind of chocolate. Easy hey?

Not really…

I LOVE chocolate, especially expensive hand made types.

In no particular order these are the choccies I wouldn’t say no to:

  • Praline
  • Lindt 70%
  • Lindt 85%
  • Lindt Chilli
  • Lindt Sea Salt
  • Any and all dark chocolate
  • Good old plain Cadbury Dairy Milk
  • Top Deck
  • Lindt Creme Brulee (at R45 a slab)
  • I also love Nutella Chocolate Spread, I know, not technically a chocolate but come on!  Its sinful!