Moist Chocolate Cake

This is the easiest recipe I've ever used to make a really moist chocolate cake. This recipe has a jam filling and buttercream topping, but its equally good with buttercream inside and out! You could also try buttercream middle and chocolate icing topping if that's your thing. 

Cake Ingredients

3oz good quality Cocoa Powder, sieved

8oz Plain Flour, sieved

1 1/2 tsp Bicarb of Soda

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

12 oz Golden Caster Sugar

2 Medium Eggs

4 1/4 fl oz Sunflower Oil

9 fl oz Semi-skimmed Milk

2 tsp Vanilla Extract (note extract, not essence)

9 fl oz Water, boiling from the kettle

For the topping and filling:

Icing sugar (quantity depends on how thick you want your buttercream

2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder

75g unsalted butter, softened

Raspberry Jam (you don't have to use raspberry, but the tartness of it cuts through the chocolate quite nicely)

Before you start baking you need to prepare your tins. You'll need two eight inch sandwich tins, which have been greased with butter. On a piece of greaseproof paper, draw around the bottoms of your tins. Cut out and use to line the bottom of the greased tin. Put to one side and prepare to pre-heat your oven to 180C

Method

In a large mixing bowl add all the cake ingredients except the boiling water.Using a hand whisk, thoroughly mix the ingredients until you have a very thick, smooth mixture. Start carefully adding the boiling water a little at a time and whisking as you go. Continue until all the boiling water is mixed in. The mix will be extremely runny by now. 

Pour the mixture into the two tins. They will probably be filled to the brim! Carefully place these into the middle of your pre-heated oven for at least 30 minutes. Ovens vary and they may take up to 50 minutes. Although the centre of these cakes remains moist when cooked, you can still check they're cooked with a skewer. It should come out clean of cake mix when it comes out. Don't worry about them sinking.

When you're happy they're cooked, take them out and leave them somewhere to cool. When they have cooled a little run a knife around the edge and turn out onto a cooling rack or plates. Peel off the paper from the bottom and allow to cool completely.

While they're cooling off you can start making the topping. Start by beating the softened butter until its creamy and smooth. A little at a time start sieving in a mixture of cocoa and icing sugar. At this point you need to decide if you want a think heavy buttercream or something lighter and spreadable. I like a thick buttercream so I keep adding icing sugar after many people would stop! As you're mixing it in a little at a time you can just stop when the consistency is right for you.

Once your cakes are cooled place one upside down on a serving plate. Spread a healthy layer of raspberry jam over the sponge. Carefully place the other half of the cake on top, with the raised side upwards.

Spread over a layer of buttercream as thick as you like. If you prefer, you can make extra buttercream and do the sides too! 

Spiced Pecan Cake

I thought as the nights draw in and the temperatures drop I would share a bit of a treat - best served slightly warm with custard! It can be made in a traditional cake tin or loaf tin.

14 fl oz water

3 fl oz orange juice (fresh squeezed if poss)

7 oz sultanas

4 oz butter

14 oz plain flour

1/2 tsp fine ground rock salt

1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

10 oz golden caster sugar

1/2 tsp nutmug

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

4 oz chopped pecans

Butter and line your cake/loaf tin with baking parchment.

Pre-heat oven to 190C

Put the water, orange juice, butter and sultanas into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Keep on a slow boil for bout 25 minutes to allow the sultanas to swell and the liquid to slightly reduce. When its ready take off the heat and allow to cool for ten minutes before using.

While the sultanas are bubbling away get a large mixing bowl for the dry ingredients. Sift the flour into the bowl, along with the bicarb, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices. Make sure everything is well mixed.

Once the sultana mix is cooled a little pour into the dry mix and mix well. Then add the eggs and pecans. Mix thoroughly before pouring into the cake tins.

Place in the pre-heated oven and cook for up to 55 minutes. Times will vary according to the efficiency of your oven, so check regularly and move around the oven if necessary to cook evenly.

Best served while still a little warm and with custard or double cream :-)

Marzipan

I have friends who don't like marzipan that will eat this! Perhaps because the natural taste of almonds is more mellow than the intense flavour of almond essence. Naturally, if you do want the strong marzipan taste, then a few drops of essence will go along way :-)

Ingredients

4oz ground almonds

3oz icing sugar

3oz sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp lemon juice

Method

Mix together the sifted icing sugar, ground almonds, sugar and lemon.

Add enough beaten egg to make a stiff paste. Add almond essence if you require a stronger taste. If you are using it to make sweets its also fun to add a few drops of colour.

Fruity Gingerbread

This gingerbread is made extra moist by the addition of bananas and golden raisins. It can be made in a shallow baking tin or square, loose bottomed cake tin - whichever you have to hand. Before you start line your tin with baking parchment.

Ingredients

10oz plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp mixed spice
4 oz soft light brown sugar
4 tbsp sunflour oil
2 tbsp black treacle
2 tbsp malt extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tbsp fruit juice (orange or pineapple will do)
3 ripe bananas
4 oz golden raisins

For this recipe you will need an oven pre-heated to 180 C or 350 F.

The flour, bicarb and spices can be sifted into a good sized mixing bowl. Scoop some of the sifted mixture back into the sieve and add the sugar. By mixing a little of the flour with the sugar it will break it up and make it easier to push through the sieve.

Hollow out a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the oil, treacle, malt, eggs and juice. A good tip is to add the oil first, as the oil that is left on spoon will make the treacle and malt slide off, when it would other wise stick so badly you get into a big mess!

At this stage it looks far from appetising, but rest assured it does improve! Mix thoroughly until it looks combined.

Set aside and get out a plate. Using a fork, mash the bananas on the plate until it looks even and mushy.

Add the raisins and mashed bananas to the mixing bowl and stir until it is sully mixed in.

Pour the mix into the prepared cake tin, making sure it neatly pushed into the corners and does not escape around the edges of the baking parchment.

Bake for 40 or so minutes. The time will greatly depend on your oven, so its best to check on it every five or ten minutes from the half hour mark just to make sure its cooking evenly. My oven takes about 45 minutes.

When the top is looking cooked press it lightly and see if it springs back. If it does it should be done. You can try the knife test, but it is difficult to tell for sure this way as the bananas stay moist after cooking, so the knife may not come out clean. Allow to rest a while before turning out onto a cooling wire.

Gingerbreads tend to develop a more mature flavour after a day or so, but it is equally yummy if eaten while still warm!

Spiced Rhubarb Cake

Serves: 6 Preparation time: 30 mins Cooking time: 60 mins

Ingredients



5 oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
300g self-raising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
100g dark muscovado sugar
200g golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, beaten
300g rhubarb, cut into short lengths
icing sugar, for dusting


Heat oven to 180C/fan 160Cand put the kettle on. Butter and line a deep 20cm square cake tin (or loaf tin as I use).


Sift the flour and spices into a bowl. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in the food processor, then beat in the golden syrup.

Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 200ml boiling water, then gradually pour through the spout of the processor.


Pulse in the flour, then add the eggs, mixing briefly.


Remove the bowl from the processor, then gently stir in the rhubarb.


Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50-60 mins, until the cake feels firm to the touch and springs back when pressed.


Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar.


Personally I love this with hot custard, but it is just as good with cream or evaporated milk.

Note: because of the fresh rhubarb, only lasts about three days!