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-Issue Number 200 |
Thursday, December 1, 2005 | Page
39 |
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Page [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]
Scrumptious choc cake to help us celebrate 200 editions
(serves 8)
This
cake is lower in calories than most shop-bought cakes and makes a treat
for chocolate lovers.
It is better to undercook than overcook it, as moist, sticky chocolate
cake is quite delicious.
You will need a liquidiser for this recipe.
The Makings:
1 tbsp instant coffee. 4oz (115g) plain chocolate. 4oz (115g) butter.
4oz (115g) caster sugar. 3 eggs. 2 tbsp marmalade. 3oz (75g) blanched
almonds. ¼ tsp almond essence. Salt. 2oz (50g) plain flour.
Icing:
½ tbsp instant coffee. 2oz (50g) plain chocolate. 2oz (50g) unsalted
butter.
The Method:
l Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Fill the bottom of a double-boiler or pan with water and bring to a
simmer. Butter an 8in (200mm) cake tin and dust it with flour. Mix the
tablespoon of coffee with 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Place the coffee
with the chocolate in the boiler or in a bowl which fits inside the
rim of a saucepan without touching the water and slowly melt the chocolate
until it is completely smooth, then set aside.
Soften the butter with a fork and mix it with all but one teaspoon of
the sugar until creamy. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks and the
marmalade into the butter mixture and leave to one side.
Toast the almonds in the oven for five minutes, until they begin to
colour. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and grind in a liquidiser
to a fine consistency.
Stir the melted chocolate into the butter mixture and mix in the almond
essence with all but two tablespoons of the ground almonds.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until soft peaks begin to
form. Sprinkle on the remaining sugar. Beat again until stiff and then
set aside.
With a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the butter
mixture. Sift one-third of the flour over the mixture and fold in. Repeat
this process twice.
Scrape the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes in the
oven. The centre of the cake should still be soft when cooked. Remove
from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack
and cool for two hours before icing.
To make the icing mix ½ tablespoon of coffee with ½ tablespoon
of boiling water. Then melt the chocolate with the coffee as before,
stirring until creamy. Remove from the heat and gradually beat in the
butter.
Allow the icing to cool until it is thick enough to spread over the
cake. Dust with the remaining ground almonds.
Or try this Christmassy special
(makes 16-24 slices)
Muscovado is a dark, unrefined sugar, which brings the sweet rich taste of molasses to the cake.
You will need an 8in (200mm) cake tin for this recipe.
The Makings:
8oz(225g) butter or margarine. 4oz (115g) pistachio nuts. 4oz (115g) muscovado sugar. 4oz (115g) caster sugar. 4 medium eggs. 2 tbsp Amaretto (Optional). 6oz (175g) plain flour. 8oz (175g) plain wholemeal flour. 1 tsp baking powder. 3oz (75g) chopped brazil nuts. 3oz (75g) chopped hazelnuts. 4oz (115g) chopped walnuts.
Topping: 4oz (115g) pecan nuts. 2oz (50g) blanched almonds. 1 tbsp apricot jam.
The Method:
l Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Line the cake tin with baking paper greased with butter or margarine. Shell the pistachio nuts. Mix the rest of the butter or margarine with the sugars in a bowl, until light and fluffy.
Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the Amaretto and sift in the flours along with the baking powder, adding the bran left in the sieve. Add the nuts and mix thoroughly.
Spoon the cake mixture into the baking tin and smooth the surface with a spatula. Arrange the pecans and almonds in rings on the top as shown in the picture.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160C/325F/gas mark 3 and continue cooking for 1 hour, until the cake has risen and is lightly browned.
A skewer should come out clean from the centre of the cake.
Heat the apricot jam in a saucepan until boiling hot, then pass it through a sieve. Brush the jam over the top of the cake on removal from the oven.
Leave the cake in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.