More chocolate cake

Remember the amazing cake on this 'Donna Hay Magazine - 50th Issue'. Well, last year, after already making the Celebration Chocolate Cake 3 times, when June and my birthday came around, I attempted Donna's cake. OK, so not exactly like the picture, but still a good effort I thought. This cake is made with buttermilk and was a lot lighter than the type of chocolate cakes I favour. I prefer dark, rich and fudgy. Having said that, after sharing it with friends and family on the night of my birthday, it was me who finished off the remaining cake that week. And when I say say me, I mean only me. I hid it at the back of the fridge and told the kids I had frozen it for another time. But no, all of that week, I sat each day before school pick up with a cup of coffee and indulged myself. My little secret.

Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake

serves 6-8

• 1 cup water
• 125 grams butter
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

chocolate cream cheese frosting

• 100 grams butter (softened)
• 500 grams cream cheese
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Grease and flour two 18cm cake tins (I used 20cm tins as that's all I had, it didn't seem to alter the cooking time at all) 

Place the water, butter and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted. Sift the flour and bicarbonate soda into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar. Pour in the cocoa mixture and stir to combine. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla and mix well. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, before turning out on to wire racks to cool completely.

To make the frosting, place the butter and cheese in a bowl and beat with electric beaters for 6-8 minutes until pale and creamy. Sifting in the icing sugar and cocoa and beat for a further 6-8 minutes or until light and fluffy. 

To assemble the cake, cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one layer on a plate and spread with one quarter of the frosting. Repeat with the remaining layers.

Celebration Chocolate Cake

(last years birthday cake for Daddy, topped with cream and decorated by the kids)

It was my husband's birthday on the weekend. The choice of cake was once again this Celebration Chocolate Cake from the beautiful book "Monday Morning Cooking Club". I made it for the first time for his birthday last year and then again about 6 other times during the year. It is delicious and ridiculously easy.

We were away for his birthday this year and served the cake simply, just as in the book, with ice-cream on the side. Last year we decorated the cake with whipped cream and smarties! And at other times I have sprinkled it with icing sugar and served it with a pile of fresh berries and dollop cream. This is my favourite way of eating it. You can never go wrong with chocolate, berries and cream.

Celebration Chocolate Cake 

serves 10


• 250 grams unsalted butter
• 200 grams dark chocolate (roughly chopped)
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 2 cups caster sugar
• 1 1/4 cups self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup dutch cocoa
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Grease and line the base and side of a 24 cm springform cake tin. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat and add the chocolate, stirring to melt. Add the coffee/water mixture and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir to combine and pour into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Sift the flours and cocoa into the chocolate mixture and stir through. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine until smooth. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the cake is cooked through. This is a very moist cake. The top will be crusty and cracked, if you prefer a smoother top, cut a piece of baking paper the size of the cake top and place it on top of the mixture before baking.

More Cake!

I have been meaning to make this cake forever. I usually make a lemon pound cake, but wanted to try this one for my daughters birthday barbecue in the park on the weekend. Pound cakes are perfect for transporting.

Served with lashings of whipped cream and piles of sweet, local strawberries, this was a hit. It happily fed the 25 people at the party, a few of the big boys (a.k.a Dad's) were seen going back for seconds.

I only had half a piece and I am going to make it again. I wonder if I could put a little less sugar in it next time? The raw mixture had tasted like pure ice-cream, very sweet ice-cream. But when served with the unsweetened whipped cream, there was a good balance. I have written the recipe here, just as Paula Dean's grandmother would have made it.

I have also added some 'bundt cake tin' secrets.

This was my first bundt cake that came out perfectly. Perhaps it was my 'new tips' or perhaps it was just the non stick tin, I'm not sure. Earlier on in the year, I bought a smaller, German made, bundt tin from the op shop. It is so cute, but it is old and doesn't have a modern non-stick surface. When I used it, the cake got stuck (the tin is deep and narrow). It was not pretty.

Do you have trouble with Bundt tins?

Sour Cream Pound Cake

makes 1 large bundt cake

• 225 grams butter (softened)
• 3 cups caster sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 cups plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Grease and flour a 25cm diameter Bundt tin*. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well combined. Add the vanilla and then the sour cream. Mix well. Sift in the flour and baking powder and spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when tested.

* How to remove a cake from a Bundt tin

• It is important to grease the tin properly before baking the cake. Using a pastry brush, coat the Bundt tin with solid vegetable shortening. (I used butter) Make sure that you have greased the entire tin thoroughly, including all of the nooks and crannies.

• Dust the tin lightly with flour. Tap the tin with the palms of your hand to distribute the flour evenly throughout the Bundt tin. Turn the tin over to remove any excess flour. Regrease and reflour any areas of the tin where the flour did not stick.

• Just before the cake is finished baking, place a folded bathroom towel in the kitchen sink. Soak the towel with boiling water. When the cake comes out of the oven, place the tin on top of the towel and let it sit for 10 seconds.

• To unmold the cake, immediately invert the cake onto a cooling rack. Use care as the cake will be very hot.

• If the cake starts to break apart before it's out of the tin, allow the cake to cool in the tin for an additional 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a rubber spatula or plastic knife. Try to unmold the cake again, using the same steam-removal method.
 

I used this 'steam-removal method' and my cake came out perfectly. I'm now digging out all of those European cake recipes that use a Bundt tin. Honestly, I had avoided making them, for fear of disaster.

Lemon and Blueberry Cake

I never did get back to the computer yesterday afternoon to write up this recipe. I have been wanting to post this all week.

I first discovered this cake at the beginning of the lemon season and have made it a few times over the last couple of months. I made it again last week when a friend came for morning tea. It's a good cake to make when friends come over because it is quick and dead easy. It's as easy to make as any simple loaf cake, but very impressive, as if you have gone to a lot of trouble.

I guess my secret is out now, here is the recipe.

Lemon and Blueberry Cake

make 1 loaf

• 225 grams butter (softened)
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup plain flour
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 2/3 cup polenta
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 cup blueberries

for the lemon syrup

• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and flour a standard 11x21cm loaf tin. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well combined. Fold in the flour, almonds, polenta, baking powder and the lemon and lime zest and juice. Gently fold in the blueberries. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested. Allow to sit in the tin for 5 minutes. 

Mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together in a small bowl. Poke the cake all over with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cake. Leave it to soak into the cake, before turning it out to cool on a wire rack.

This recipe is from "Bills Basics"

My husband's chocolate cake

This is the cake that my husband wooed me with when we were 'just friends'. I was impressed.

Anyone that has ever tasted this cake has asked for the recipe. It's so quick to make, we have often taken it to last minute dinner parties or whipped it up to take on an impromptu picnic. We love it iced with coffee icing or halved and filled with cherries and whipped cream for a simple Black Forest Cake.

If you have a mixmaster (a Kitchen Aid or the like) you can put all of the ingredients in the one bowl and mix - that simple. However if you are like me, I am still using the $17.00 hand held electric egg beaters that I bought when I left home 20 years ago, then follow my method below.

Enjoy.

I made this cake Friday afternoon for my daughters birthday. As always it was delicious.









Mr Moo's Chocolate Cake

makes one cake

• 125 grams butter (softened)
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 3/4 cup self raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
• 1 cup milk

chocolate butter icing

• 50 grams butter (softened)
• 2 cups icing sugar (sifted)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa (sifted)
• 1 teas. vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon boiling water

coffee butter icing

• 50 grams butter (softened)
• 2 cups icing sugar (sifted)
• 1 teas. vanilla extract
• 1 heaped teaspoon instant coffee powder mixed with 1 tablespoon of boiling water (well dissolved)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and flour a deep 22 cm round cake tin. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and cocoa and continue to mix. Sift in the flour and the bicarbonate soda, stir until well combined. Add the milk and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 40 minutes. Leave the cake to sit for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool.

To make the butter icing, sift the icing sugar (and cocoa - if making chocolate icing) into a bowl. Work in the softened butter with a wooden spoon. Add the vanilla and boiling water (mixed with coffee - if making coffee icing) Beat until smooth. Spread onto cooled cupcakes. It will take approximately 30 minutes for the icing to set.

This quantity of icing should cover the top and sides of the cake. I prefer my home baked cakes with just the icing on the top. Any extra icing I put in the freezer for the next time I bake cupcakes. At the moment I have a small amount of chocolate, hot pink, sky blue and now coffee icing in my freezer.

Birthday party cupcakes

(these cupcakes were the one's we made for my aunt's 70th birthday in April of this year)

I secretly love cupcakes. The yummiest I have ever tasted were from a little bakery in Brisbane. I tasted them only once at a party, years ago, but I have never forgotten their soft texture and sweet vanilla flavour.

This is the best that I have come up with so far. It is possibly a Donna Hay recipe, I'm not sure. I have cooked these cupcakes for every one of my children's birthday parties over the last six years.

The recipe states that it makes 24 cupcakes. That's true if you are making these for a mother's morning tea or grown-up event. If I am making them for a children's party, I get almost double that, I always reduce the size of the cupcakes, as everyone one knows: the kids just eat the icing. I put the remaining 20 odd cupcakes in the freezer, ready treats for the kids over the weeks following the party.

Cupcakes

makes approximately 24

• 375 grams butter (softened)
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder

butter icing

• 50 grams butter (softened)
• 2 cups icing sugar (sifted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• a little boiling water
• food colouring of your choice

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Prepare a 12 hole patty cake tin with papers. In a large bowl cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, two at a time, beating well. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until well combined. Fill the patty papers 3/4 full and bake for 35 minutes.

To make the butter icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Work in the softened butter with a wooden spoon. Add the vanilla and boiling water. Beat until smooth. Carefully add food colouring to get the colour required. Spread onto cooled cupcakes. It will take approximately 30 minutes for the icing to set.

Fairy Cupcakes

To make fairy cupcakes: add 1/4 cup sprinkles (hundreds and thousands) to the cupcake mixture.