The jam and buttercream sponge was the traditional weight of eggs = weight of butter = weight of sugar = weight of self-raising flour plus a teaspoon of baking powder for every eight ounces. The secret: soft butter and room temperature eggs. And of course a spring-form tin... I bought a set of three just before I left Guernsey for NZ...
The chocolate cake was Annabel Langbein's Ultimate Chocolate Cake, with my own fudge icing.
- Prep time:
- 5 mins
- Cook time:
- 1 hour
- Makes:
- 1 big cake
- 3 cups self-raising flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda, sifted
- 200g butter, softened
- 1 cup milk or unsweetened yoghurt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup boiling hot coffee
To ice:
- 1 recipe Chocolate Ganache
- Prep time:
- 5 mins
- Cook time:
- 5 mins + standing
- Makes:
- 4 cups
- 500ml cream
- 500g dark chocolate (I use Whittaker's 72% Cocoa Dark Ghana), chopped
Pour the cream into a medium pot and heat it until it is almost but not quite boiling. You’ll know it’s ready when bubbles start to form around the edge of the pot. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stand for 2 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is fully melted into the cream. Whisk until smooth and glossy. When you start to stir it, you think it won’t come together, but it will.
If you’re not using the ganache straight away, store it in a jar in the fridge for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to serve it, gently warm in a pot or microwave to soften.
TIP
Ganache will thicken as it cools, so if yours seems a bit runny just pop it in the fridge until it hardens up a bit.
Fresh raspberries to garnish
Preheat oven to 160°C fanbake. Grease a 30cm-diameter springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
Place all ingredients except Chocolate Ganache and raspberries in a large bowl, electric mixer or food processor and mix or blitz until the ingredients are combined and the butter is fully incorporated. Pour into prepared tin and smooth top. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin. If not using at once, the cake will keep for about a week in a sealed container in the fridge. You can also freeze it uniced.
When you are ready to ice the cake, slather chilled Chocolate Ganache over the top. Top with fresh raspberries and serve.
Variation:
To make chocolate cupcakes, preheat oven to 16
0°C and line 24 muffin pans with paper cases. Prepare cake batter according to the instructions for The Ultimate Chocolate Cake (see above). Spoon mixture into the paper cases, filling about two thirds full. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool before icing. For icing, beat 200g firm cream cheese with 100g softened butter until smooth. Gradually beat in 2 cups icing sugar until smooth and creamy. Add a few drops of food colouring to get the desired colour. Icing can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week. Pipe onto the cakes and top with confectionery sprinkles. Makes 24.
My fudge icing: boil together 1 cup sugar, 1 large tablespoon cocoa, ditto butter, 2 tablespoons water, until soft ball stage. Beat until glossy and thick and almost begins to set into fudge, pour and spread onto cake.
Then the gluten free fudge cake, also Annabel Langbein
- 250g / 8 oz dark chocolate (I use Whittaker's 72% Cocoa Dark Ghana), chopped
- 2 tbsp brandy
- 2 tbsp strong, hot black coffee
- 200g / 6½ oz butter, chopped
- 1 cup caster sugar / superfine sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups ground almonds
- 6 eggs, separated
To garnish (optional)
- chocolate shavings, cut with a vegetable peeler
Preheat oven to 170°C / 340°F. Line the base and sides of a 23cm / 9-inch-diameter springform cake tin with baking paper.
Combine chocolate, brandy and coffee in a large bowl over a pot of boiling water, stirring as the chocolate melts. Add butter, sugar and vanilla and stir until butter has melted. Remove from heat and stir in ground almonds. Lightly beat egg yolks and stir into the chocolate mixture.
Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl and beat to firm peaks. Stir a big spoonful of beaten egg white into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Spoon into prepared tin and bake until risen and set (40-50 minutes). The cake will still be a little gooey in the centre. It may look a little cracked as it develops a crust and can be quite fragile, but this is normal.
Cool completely in the tin, then transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with chocolate shavings, if using. It will keep in an airtight container for more than a week and also freezes well.
The carrot cake was my own simple recipe
Grate 12 oz/360g carrots. Beat in 8 oz/225g sugar (any combination of white/brown sugars and honey if wished), 4 fl oz oil and 4 eggs. Sift together 9oz/ 260g self raising flour, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 - 2 teaspoons mixed spice (I used garam masala, ginger and cinnamon). Mix into wet mixture.
Bake in 8 inch square deep tin for 25 - 35 minutes or in 2 shallower tins for 20 - 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Optional: finely grated rind of half an orange, if you can be bothered. I couldn't..
As for the coconut cake... this was the recipe, though I used a simple buttercream with coconut frosting:
IngredientsBasic 1-2-3-4 Cake with coconut milk:
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut
7-Minute Frosting:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups coconut, flaked and sweetened
Method: Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and coconut milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks.
Filling:
Stir together sugar, sour cream, milk, and coconut in a bowl until well blended. Add first cake layer onto pedestal. Using the wrong end of a wooden spoon, poke holes approximately 1-inch apart until entire cake has been poked. Spread a third of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again.
Cook's Note: As each layer is stacked, stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting.
Frosting:
Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle top and sides of cake with coconut. Garnish with artificial holly, if desired.
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/jamies-coconut-cake-recipe3.html?oc=linkback
This recipe is simple and good too:
Ingredients
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.
For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).
To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/coconut-cake-recipe.html?oc=linkback
Ingredients
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.
For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).
To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/coconut-cake-recipe.html?oc=linkback
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