Sunflowers and Icing

Today’s post is mainly about icing, specifically chocolate ganache, a versatile icing that can be poured on a cake while runny as a glossy covering (as I did for my wedding cake) or used when more solid as a piped icing. To illustrate its use here is a picture of some sunflower cupcakes I made the impressionists garden party I previously made gingerbread ladies for.

I dyed flaked almonds yellow with food colouring and left them to dry on greaseproof paper.

Then having put a dollop of chocolate ganache on the cupcakes I put the almonds around the edge.

The recipe

Chocolate Ganache -  Makes 250g mixture enough to fill and cover a 8 inch cake

175g / 6 oz           Plain Chocolate broken into pieces

4 tablespoons    Single Cream

50g / 2oz              Butter  in cubes

2                            Egg yolks

1 tablespoon      Rum

I adapt this as given my very fecund friends I don’t like to add the egg yolks in case I am feeding pregnant women ditto for the rum. Also if I haven’t got single cream in the fridge I milk instead but a bit less volume. Apart from that you can see I follow the recipe closely...

Instructions

1. Beat the chocolate with the cream in a small pan over a gentle heat
2. Cool slightly then beat in the butter bit by bit
3. Beat in the egg yolks and rum if using

Either use runny or wait for it to cool and beat for a thick pipe-able icing

Gingerbread Women

No, this isn't about redressing the gender balance but last time I made these I only made gingerbread woman. They were for the impressionist-themed garden party, and were designed to be Gauguin-style Tahitian beauties. While that objective may not have been met, the recipe is a good one I have used for many years.

                      
Ingredients

250g	Plain flour
100g	Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon	Ginger (powder)
100g	Butter or Marg,
2 tablespoons	Orange Juice
1 tablespoon	Golden Syrup
1 tablespoon	Treacle (or another of syrup)

Instructions

1.       Sieve the flour  and the sugar and ginger

2.       Add the butter/ marg. rub to bread crumbs

3.       Add orange juice, syrup and treacle

4.       Kneed to a dough

5.       Roll out, cut to design of your choice and gently move to a baking tray

6.       Cook at 180^oC for around 10 minute until golden

 Compare and contrast...

Devil’s Food Cake

This is my second favourite chocolate cake recipe.  It is less complicated than the "best ever" one, but still very chocolatey. There is quite a lot of cocoa powder in it which makes it a really dark earthy chocolate colour and the texture is quite springy. The lack of density means it is isn’t ideally suited for cutting into novelty cakes but it does make good cupcakes. I realised when I looked at my cook book that I have been making this recipe for 20 years so it must be a good one.

The original recipe

50g / 2 oz                            Cocoa Powder

200ml / 1/3 pint                 Boiling Water

175g / 6oz                           Plain Flour

¼ teaspoon                         Baking Powder

1 teaspoon                          Bicarbonate of Soda

125g / 4 oz                          Butter (or Marg at a push)

300g / 10 oz                        Caster Sugar (Golden is good)

2                                          Eggs, beaten

Makes one 20cm / 8 inch sandwich cake or 24 cupcakes (small paper cases not muffin cases)

Cook at 180 ^oC  45-50 mins for cake ~20-25 mins for cupcakes but check after 15 mins

Instructions

1.       Blend Cocoa with ½ the water then stir in the rest and leave to cool

2.       Sift flour, baking powder and Bicarb

3.       Cream butter, sugar and 3 tblesp of cocoa  & water until light and fluffy

4.       Beat in eggs to butter and sugar

5.       Fold in flour and cocoa alternately, don’t worry if it curdles

6.       Divide into 2 lined sandwich tins or 24 small paper cases

7.       It is done when a skewer comes out clean, but leave in the tins to cool for about 5 mins as it is a bit fragile when hot.

Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe

As an antidote to my favourite but slightly complicated cake recipe, I was sent this easy chocolate cake recipe. I tried it and it is easy (only 3 steps) and tastes nice. I made it into cupcakes and tried to put all the mixture into 12 cupcake cases which was too much, I estimate it will make 15-18 cupcakes.  My only objection is that I don’t often have crème fraiche in the fridge, but that is quite a small quibble. See what you think.

The decoration was for my brother-in-law who is addicted to tea and also likes this MoPed! song 

Ingredients:
    * 8 oz self-raising flour, sieved
    * 3 tbsp cocoa
    * ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
    * 6 oz caster sugar
    * 3 eggs
    * 150ml crème fraiche
    * 150ml sunflower oil
    * 3 tbsp golden syrup

Method:
Tip the dry ingredients into a bowl or food processor and mix to combine.

In a jug, whisk the eggs until pale, then add the crème fraiche, sunflower oil, and golden syrup. Whisk together thoroughly, then tip the mixture into the dry ingredients and beat or blend to combine.

Pour the batter into a 2 greased 8” round tin, and bake at 140 degrees C, for 40 mins-1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.