Sunday 25 May 2008

... Little recipe


By popular demand, here is the recipe for the cake from Friday's post.

4oz/100g unrefined soft brown sugar
4oz/100g softened butter
2oz/50g self raising flour
2oz/50g ground almonds
2oz/50g cocoa powder
2 large eggs (or 2 medium and a splash of milk)
A few drops of almond essence - Not almond flavouring as it's cheap and nasty and made of chemicals.
4oz/100g dark chocolate drops or chopped chocolate

Mix up everything except for the chocolate with a hand mixer or in a food processor. Don't mix for too long otherwise all the air will be beaten out of it and it won't rise so well. Stir in the chocolate by hand, then you're ready to bake. But first, you must choose your tin. Actually, you probably should have done the tin-choosing before you started mixing. This recipe is good for making individual cakes (about 12) in muffin tins, or one large cake in an 8inch/20cm square tin - Remember to line the tin with baking parchment/paper.
Oh, and you should've turned the oven on, too, so it's hot by the time you've finished mixing. Gas mark 4, or 180 degrees should be fine. Maybe about 170 if you have a fan assisted oven?
Bake the muffin-style cakes for 15-20 minutes or until just firm to the touch. The large cake may take 20-25 minutes.

If you have an Apocalypse Oven like mine, put your space suit on, and pick up the tin of raw cake mix. Open the oven door and hold the tin in front of you - DO NOT PUT IT IN THE OVEN! If your face plate hasn't cracked from the intense heat, you should notice the cake is cooked after a few seconds. Shut the oven door, and relax as your space suit's internal cooling fans struggle to bring your body temperature down to comfortable levels. Swear at Apocalypse Oven and kick it as you walk past to the kitchen counter where you can put the cake onto a cooling rack.

You might like to have a nice glass of wine while the cake is cooling. Possibly even two. Personally, I prefer to finish the bottle - 'Waste not, want not' as the saying goes. Alternatively, why not try a nice gin & tonic or twelve?

Once the cake is cool, and you haven't lost your hand-eye coordination from one too many gins, you can decorate it as you see fit. I spread the muffin-style cakes with chocolate icing/frosting and sprinkle grated chocolate on top. Or, if I've made a square cake, I cut it in half making two rectangles, spread chocolate icing on one, put the other half on top, then spread that with icing too.
Friday's cake was made in a special mini-cake pan with six individual round 'tins'. I sandwiched two of the mini cakes together with icing, spread more icing on top, sprinkled it with grated chocolate and finished off with crystalised violet petals.

I've found that this cake has a moister texture to it if it's left overnight in an airtight tin before eating it. But if you want to wolf it down right away, go ahead!

18 comments:

  1. OK, aside from having to flick the skanky blue bits off the top, that's sounds like quite a nice cake.

    Oh, and don't put it on those fruity-looking plates either.

    Oh, and if I detect any hint of rohypnol, I'm calling the Police.

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  2. This is too much bother.

    Make a batch up for me and send it by FedEx.

    I'll serve them on colourful (non frou-frou) Fiestaware plates.

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  3. Tim: You'll only know the Rohypnol is in the cake after you've eaten it. And I'm not sure how you'll manage to call the police after you come around as you'll be tied up?

    MJ: My cakes will go no where near Fiestaware!!

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  4. Because I'll keep a knife up my sleeve to cut the ropes!

    I anticipate every eventuality!

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  5. I love your description of your oven. I've experienced those myself.

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  6. Tim: You think you'll still have your clothes on? Ha!

    I will leave you wearing your pants, though. However, I would have searched them thoroughly, obviously.

    Snooze: That oven is almost as much of a thorn in my side as Beaky!

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  7. I'm like Terminator - I'll keep the knife UNDER MY SKIN!

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  8. Drat! Foiled again.

    You may have escaped my clutches this time, Tim, but our paths will cross again, mark my words.

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  9. Now, I just need someone's clothes, boots, and motorcycle…

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  10. Recipe? Mixing, baking, waiting, etc?

    I'm kind of thinking it would be easier to just buy some of those nice vanilla muffins with chocolate chunks and strawberries from Morrisons.

    Fuck all that baking lark.

    And they'd probably be nicer.

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  11. I may have to check to make sure the fire extinguisher still works before I try out this recipe.

    No Apocalypse oven; just one that feels like it's the sun's surface at times.

    I do like almonds though--and I had pistachio and almond pudding for dinner last night and for brunch today.

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  12. I totally would not have thought that the pants would be what you let Tim keep.

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  13. Yeah - I would have assumed you'd leave his hat one. Or beanie because SHIT THAT THING IS F*CKING AWESOME!

    Watch out - I see IDV commandeering a big rig and he's chasing the little motorbike down some highway. What is it with evil terminators and big rigs?

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  14. They're compensating, T-Bird.

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  15. That's a gorgeous recipe although I have to say it's a little out of my league.

    It's funny how you mention that you have to turn on the oven AFTER we've already spent an hour measuring and mixing the dough. You seem almost as scatter brained as I am.

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  16. Tim: Oh, here:

    * hands over keys, biker boots, leather trousers and no top *

    The bike's out front.

    * trains all surveillance cameras on Tim as he gets changed *

    P&T: Nicer!? They'd be like poison compared to home-baked cakes! Especially if they're from Morrisons.

    Eros: Don't you just hate ovens with no settings between 'off' and 'inferno'.

    Dinah: I know. I surprised myself there.

    T-Bird: I couldn't possibly leave Tim with his stupid giant beanie as he could just get inside it and be totally covered up!

    * grrrrunch kerrunch griiiiind *

    Blast! Why is it so difficult to change gear in gigantic trucks?

    Tim: Compensate? I don't understand. There's no phase variance or particle drift here?

    CyberPetra: Out of your league? It takes 10 minutes to mix up - It's easy!

    I scattered my brain away years ago!

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  17. Through time and space - a message to lead yourself here.

    Because you want your Tim safe?

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  18. CyberPetra: Ooh, a Tim Safe™. What an excellent idea. Just the thing to keep him pristine condition and away from other jealous stalkers!

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Tickle my fancy, why don't you?