We baked together.
Even though we've shared a blog for almost 7 months, and known each other much much longer, this seemingly rather obvious event has never actually occurred.
So, before Rosaline leaves for Bristol (sob) we decided that enough was enough, and finally, after many empty promises and cancelled dates, we did it.
And it was so much fun!
This momentous event occurred in Rosaline's lovely kitchen (interrupted by the arrival of the new toaster which was very exciting) and after much indecision (obviously, it's us) we decided to go with trusty BBC Good Food and make...
'The Ultimate Chocolate Cake'
Even for the BBC, that's quite a large claim. In fact, considering the variety of chocolate cake we have both consumed in our lives, it's an enormous claim.
But OMG did it live up to it's name.
We decided we were officially ADDICTED. It was so gooey and moist (ew ew ew) and delicious that once we'd started we just couldn't stop. (True Fact: Chocolate is marginally addictive. So, err, that's our excuse for glutenous behaviour)
We made this for our Say Goodbye To Our-Only-Follower Polly Party which was, as you can imagine very emotional, (she went to Manchester yesterday; we're sad) and so this seemed an appropriate cake to make. As in, one you're unlikely to forget in a hurry.
And Ultimate Chocolate anything is an appropriate send off really.
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| Polly seemed appropriately blown away by the whole thing. The champagne candles are optional (but really quite a necessity, we would say) |
200g good quality dark chocolate , about 60% cocoa solids (err we may have used cheap milk chocolate instead. We're poor students ok!?)
200g butter
1/2tbsp
instant coffee granules - if you're being classy and proper and using good quality chocolate, use a 1tbsp of coffee instead. Using too much coffee with milk chocolate (especially the cheap kind) will make it taste too much like coffee cake, rather than just bringing out the chocolate flavour
85g self-raising flour
85g plain
flour
1⁄4 tsp
bicarbonate of soda
200g light
muscovado sugar
200g golden
caster sugar
25g cocoa
powder
3 medium
eggs
75ml
buttermilk (5 tbsp)
First off; if you don't have buttermilk DO NOT give up and stop reading. You can still make the Ultimate Chocolate Cake. Woo!! Everyone jump around.
We didn't have buttermilk either; a tablespoon of lemon juice for about 300ml of milk does the trick, so we just sort of roughly guessed a third of a tablespoon. Leave to stand for 15 - 20 minutes. It makes the milk go sour, which is what buttermilk is, and curdle a little. So it's all good.
You can continue. PHEW.
1. Butter your cake tin. Our recipe told us to use one big tin and then cut it but we were like err that means it takes aaaages to cook and we have leaving parties to get to and then we'd have to cut it and we didn't think we'd be very good at the whole straight line thing. So we made two cakes instead.
2. Mix both types of flour, the bicarbonate of soda, light muscovado sugar, caster sugar and cocoa powder in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps.
3. Preheat the oven to fan 160C/gas 3. Break the chocolate in to pieces in a pan and add the butter. Then mix the instant coffee granules into 125ml cold water and add to the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - BUT you need to watch this like a hawk so that it doesn't overheat. No dancing to the radio at this point.
4. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then stir in the buttermilk (or buttermilk replacement) with the eggs.
5. Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. This bit was really fun. Well, we loved it at any rate. Like I say, it is meant to be runny. Don't get anxious.
6. Pour the mix into the two tins and bake for 45 minutes. When you take the cakes out of the oven the top should feel firm (but don't worry if it cracks a bit) a skewer in the centre should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly. Notice a theme here?? I advocate NO WORRYING! This a non stress inducing cake. It is fun and yummy. It does not require stress. If it does go wrong, smother in chocolate ganache, eat with ice cream and call it a Mud Cake. It'll still be a m a z i n g), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Ganache:
200g good quality dark chocolate
284ml carton double cream (pouring type)
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Set aside. (We tell you to set aside otherwise it all gets a it complicated and you're like 'Arrgh wait, what's happening with the chocolate?! Are we heating the cream or the chocolate??' Leave the chocolate. Do nothing with it. Apart from maybe eat little bits when the person your baking with isn't looking. We got so confused as to where all the chocolate had got to. Ok, not that confused. We know each other pretty well...
2. Pour a the cream into a pan and add 2 tbsp golden caster sugar, then heat until it is about to boil. again; watching in a hawk like fashion is required.
3. Take the cream off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
4. When the cake is cool (totally cool otherwise it'll all sink in and go heavy and will waste the delicious ganache and ohh it'll just not be good. patience is a virtue, remember. Or, if you're as impatient as we are when it comes to cake, time everything really badly so that you have to go and get ready for a party and put make up on and contemplate what to wear as soon as you've taken your cake out of the oven. This will guarantee that your cake will be long cool by the time you return and are ready to go. It will also guarantee that you're in a bit of a panic about the flicks on your eyeliner and are late. But that can't be helped.) Sandwich the layers together with a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. Decorate with chocolate shavings, mini smarties, flakes, malteasers, sparkles... You get the idea. We always advocate going all out with the decoration. There is no such thing as an over the top cake.
That is a total fact.
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| Omg this makes me drawl. We definitely didn't eat the left overs for breakfast... Serve this with no decorum or dignity. Embrace the chocolate goo rolling down your face. Have a second helping. Enjoy!
Ellie and Ros
- xxx-
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