Recipe for Chocolate Cake

Every baker needs a good recipe for a chocolate cake.  Here is a tried and tested one.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
175g (6oz) butter, softened
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
3 eggs
160g (5 oz)  self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
25g (1 oz) cocoa powder

Method

Preheat oven to 170C, 340F,  Gas Mark 4.  Lightly butter two 7 inch cake tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.  Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs (one at a time or the mixture will curdle) and beat in.  Sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa and fold into the mixture with a metal spoon (or pulse on food processor).  Pour into the two tins and level.  Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins.  Remove and allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a rack.  When cold sandwich together with butter cream or marscapone and dust with icing sugar or cover with chocolate icing or melted chocolate depending on how chocolatey you want your cake to be. 

Goes well with a good romance.

Recipe for Carrot Cake

This is a very good recipe for Carrot Cake.

Carrot and Orange Cake

Ingredients
4 oz (125g) Butter or Margarine
4 oz (125g) Soft brown sugar
4 oz (125g) Grated carrot
6 oz (175g) Plain whole meal flour (or half wholemeal/half white)
3 level teaspoons of baking powder
1 level teaspoon of cinnamon or mixed spice
pinch of salt
grated rind and juice of half an orange (or a tablespoon of orange juice)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of milk

Method
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add the beaten eggs a little at a time and beat well.  Put the wholemeal flour in another bowl and sieve in with the baking powder, salt and spice. Mix in the grated carrot.  Now fold the two mixtures together with the orange juice and just enough milk to make a soft consistency.  Grease a 6 in (15 cm) round cake tin and put a circle of greaseproof paper in the bottom.  Fill with the cake mixture and level.  Bake at Gas Mark 3, 325F, 160C for about an hour or until well risen and set. 

Or you can throw the whole lot in a food processor and whizz for a couple of minutes until a soft consistency.  It works just as well. 

When cool you can slice the cake in half (make sure it is very cool or it will be inclined to crumble) and spread one half with marmalade then sandwich together with butter cream or marscapone.  Dust the top with icing sugar or ice with orange icing and decorate with candied orange slices.

Enjoy with a good book.

Recipe for Irish Tea Bread

To commemorate the Queen's visit to Ireland here is a recipe for Irish Tea Bread which is delicious spread liberally with butter and served with a cup of tea and a good book. To make a celebratory version use luxury mixed fruit with cherries and pineapple pieces in.  For the everyday version just ordinary mixed fruit.  If you forget to soak the fruit overnight it will be just as good if you soak it for two hours on the same day.  It's measured very roughly in cups. I just use a good-sized tea cup.

Ingredients
12oz/350g mixed dried fruit (the kind with peel)
1 cup of cold tea
2 cups of self-raising flour
1 cup soft, dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 egg

Method

Soak the fruit in the cold tea overnight, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Bake in a 2lb (900g) loaf tin for 75-90 minutes at 350F, 180C, Gas Mark 4, covering the top with greaseproof paper for the first hour so that it does not brown too quickly.  Cool on a rack and serve sliced as it is, or buttered.

Recipe for Sunday Tea - Banana Bread

This is another very quick and easy recipe for Sunday tea.  It's a very good way of using up those bananas that go very soft very quickly in warm weather as you want the bananas soft, but not brown, to mash them.  It's another cake that makes a very good base for an ice-cream pudding. Toffee ice-cream goes especially well with banana.  I like it spread with butter like a tea-bread. You can just throw everything into a food processor and give it a good whizz.

BAHAMA MAMA'S BANANA BREAD

2 oz butter

1 egg

4 oz sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

2-3 bananas, soft for mashing

8 oz flour

1 level teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

2 oz chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add beaten egg and vanilla essence.   Mash bananas and add to the mixture.  Sift flour, salt and baking powder.  Mix into mixture.  Add nuts if you like them.  Bake in a greased loaf 11b loaf pan for about an hour or until a fork comes out clean at 300F, Gas Mark 3.  (The length of time depends on how moist your mixture ie how many bananas you use and how big they are so it's best to check with the fork test). 

If you want a larger cake just double the quantities and bake in a 2lb loaf tin for one and a half hours at 300F or Gas Mark 3.  

Recipe for Lemon Curd Cake

I made this cake yesterday.  I have had the recipe for years but not made it for a while and I had forgotten what a nice light moist sponge it makes.  It's very easy, ideal for busy mums in the holidays, just throw all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz.  It's also a very good base for an improvised pudding - try topping a slice with some ice-cream, chopped banana and a squiggle of chocolate sauce.

Ingredients
4 oz (100g) soft butter or margarine
4 oz (100g) sugar
2 eggs beaten
5 oz (140g) self-raising flour
2 tablespoons lemon curd

Method

Mix all the ingredients together, beating until smooth.  Transfer to a 1lb (450g) loaf tin and bake at 350F, 180C, Gas Mark 4 for about 45 minutes until well risen and golden as well as firm to the touch. (Check with a fork and if still a bit too moist inside give it a bit longer - it depends how much lemon curd you use and how lemony you want the taste).

Serve with a cup of coffee and a good book.

Recipe for Ginger Cake

We'll gather lilacs in the spring again... and after that we'll come home for afternoon tea.  After chuffing all that chocolate on Easter morning we will be wanting a good plain cake to go with the cucumber sandwiches so here is one - my tried and tested never fails recipe for Ginger Cake.  This is very easy - no weary beating - as you make it mostly in a saucepan.  It is said that it is best if you keep it wrapped in foil in a tin for a couple of days before cutting but frankly my dear, mine has never lasted that long.  I have made it many times and it has never let me down.

Ginger Cake
Ingredients
8 oz/225g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 2 if you like a real ginger flavour)
4 oz/100g soft brown sugar
6 oz/175g golden syrup
3 oz/75g butter or margarine
Quarter pint/150 ml Milk
1 egg, beaten

Method

Melt syrup, sugar and butter with the milk in a saucepan.  Mix in the dry ingredients, then add the egg, beating well to avoid lumps.  The mixture will be like a batter and you might think it's a bit wet but don't worry just pour it into the pan.  It will bake to a lovely light sponge.  Bake in a greased and lined 2lb (900g) loaf tin for 75 minutes at 325F, 160C, Gas Mark 3.  Test the cake after an hour's cooking as the time can vary slightly with the oven and shape of the tin. The cake is ready if it springs back when pressed like a sponge.

A Reason to be Sinful

As it's the start of Holy Week I will start with something to make us good...
St Talharain's Prayer
God impart to me thy strength,
And in that strength, reason;
And in reason, knowledge,
And in knowledge, justice
And in justice the love of it;
And in the love of justice the love of everything
And in the love of everything
The Love of God.

St Talharain was a fifth century Celtic saint.  You will find out tomorrow why I have chosen him.

...followed by a reason to be sinful.

Chocolate Marble Cake
225g (8 oz) English butter
225g (8 oz) Caster sugar
3 (size 3) eggs
350 g (12 oz) self raising flour
pinch salt
225 ml (7 fl oz) milk
25g (1 oz) cocoa

Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar together.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well.
3. Fold in the flour and salt and the milk.
Top tip: I do this all in the food processor so it only takes a few minutes. If you don't have one use the soft spreadable butter as this takes the hard work out of creaming it with the sugar.
4. Divide the mixture into two bowls, add the cocoa to one and mix well.
5. Spoon mixtures alternately into a prepared 7 inch cake tin to get the marbled effect.  This gives a lovely deep cake but if you want a flatter cake use an 8 inch tin.
Top tip: it's a good idea to put a round of greaseproof paper in the bottom of the tin even if it's ostensibly 'non-stick' as it helps to get the cake out safely.
6. Bake - 160 degrees centigrade, 325 degrees Fahrenheit or Gas Mark 3 for one and a half hours until well risen.  Cool and turn out onto a cake rack.
Tip to impress:  Smother it with chocolate icing.  Go on, you know you want to.

This is quite an expensive cake but rises beautifully and is sure to impress visitors.  Most importantly of course it is delicious so you might be tempted to keep it all to yourself.  A good book, a cup of tea and a big slice of cake are after all the hallmarks of a civilized life.  The recipe is tried and tested.  I made it a few weeks ago.  Highly recommended.