Nigella's chocolate fudge cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake
Serves 10 (or 1 with a broken heart). Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites - Chapter Two: Comfort Food page 47

For the cake:

• 400 grams plain flour


• 250 grams castor sugar


• 100 grams brown sugar


• 50 grams best quality cocoa powder


• 2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 3 eggs


• 142 milliliters/small tub sour cream


• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract


• 175 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled


• 125 milliliters corn oil


• 300 milliliters chilled water

Preheat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl or wide-necked measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Using a freestanding or handheld electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended (you'll need another large bowl for this if using the hand whisk), then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins.

Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes or until a cake-tester (toothpick or satay sticks) comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.

For the fudge icing:

• 175 grams dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids


• 250 grams unsalted butter, softened


• 275 grams icing sugar, sifted


• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2-3 minutes on medium should do it - or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.

In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything is light and fluffy. Gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.

Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.

Flop proof chocolate cake

1 cup sugar
4 eggs - seperated
1 cup flour
3 tsp baking.powder
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon Nescafe coffee
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup boiling water

Beat egg whites till stiff, gradually add sugar, beat well. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, add vanilla. Sift flour & baking powder 3 times and add to egg mixture, beating on very low or using a spatula. Mix together oil, cocoa,coffee & boiling water. Add to batter, using a spatula to mix well. Spray and cook ring pan . Bake for 30 to 35 min on 180 in a well greased pan. Until done.Remove from oven, keep in cake tin for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely

Yestervarkies

Koek

• 230 g (250 ml) botter
• 250 g (310 ml) suiker
• 3 eiers
• 420 g (750 ml) koekmeel
• 10 ml bakpoeier
• knippie sout
• 250 ml melk

Verhit oond tot 200 ˚C. Klits botter en suiker tot lig en romerig. Voeg eiers een vir een by en klits goed ná elke byvoeging. Sif droë bestanddele saam en voeg om die beurt met die melk
by botter-mengsel. Gooi in 'n gesmeerde vierkantige pan van 22 x 22 cm en bak vir 20 - 30 minute. Haal uit en laat koud word. Sny in 25 blokkies.

Sous

• 60 ml kakao
• 375 ml water
• 600 g (750 ml) suiker
• 15 ml botter
• 500 g klapper

Plaas al die bestanddele behalwe die klapper in 'n kastrol. Bring tot kookpunt en laat kook vir 2 minute. Doop koekblokkies in stroop en rol dan in klapper.

Yule chocolate log

Ingredients
butter , for greasing
5 eggs
140g light muscovado sugar
100g self-raising flour
25g good quality cocoa powder such as Green & Black's or Oxfam Fairtrade
caster sugar , for dusting


285ml/9½fl oz carton double cream
450g fondant chocolate , such as Lindt Lindor
icing sugar , for dusting


Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter and line the base and sides of a 30 x 35cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment.
Separate the eggs, putting them into two large mixing bowls. Add the sugar and 2 tbsp water to the egg yolks. Using an electric whisk or tabletop mixer, whisk the sugar and yolks for about 5 mins until the mixture is light in colour and thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk blades are lifted. Sift in the flour and cocoa, then fold in lightly, using the whisk blades or a large metal spoon.

Using a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, then fold into the cake mixture in three batches, again using the blades to preserve as much air as possible.

Pour the mixture evenly over the prepared tin, then carefully spread to the edges. Bake for 10-12 mins, or until the cake feels firm to the touch. Put a large sheet of baking parchment on the work surface and sprinkle lightly with caster sugar. Turn the cake out onto the parchment and peel off the lining paper. Cover with a clean tea towel, then leave to cool completely. Trim a little cake from all the edges, then score along the edge of one of the long sides of the cake and roll up from there, using the paper to help you, rolling the paper inside the cake.

To make the icing and filling, bring the cream to the boil in a small pan, remove from the heat, then break in 400g of the chocolate. Stir until it is melted and smooth. Leave to cool, then chill until it is spreadable, about 1 hr. Chop the remaining chocolate, spoon a third of the icing into a bowl, then stir them together to make the filling.
Carefully unroll the cake, then spread all the filling over to within 2cm of the edges. Roll up the cake again using the paper to help you, then set on a board.

Cut a thick diagonal slice off one end of the cake. Transfer the larger piece of cake to a board or flat serving plate. Spread a little icing over cut side of the small piece of cake and fix it to the large roll to make a stump (as photo). Spread remaining icing over the cake, then dust with icing sugar to serve.

Frozen chocolate truffle pie

Ingredients

12 ounces bitter sweet or semi sweet chocolate
1-1/2 sticks butter
6 large egg whites
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
pinch cream of tartar
pre-baked pie crust


Now on with the recipe …

Make a double boiler by bringing a half pan of water to a boil, turning the heat to low, and setting a large stainless bowl over it.Even if you already have a double boiler, do it this way. You’ll be able to mix everything in this one bowl and save on clean-up.

Put the butter in the bowl, and once it’s melted add the chocolate, cocoa, sugar and salt.While the chocolate melts, separate the eggs (see here for tips). If you’re thinking ahead, you’ll set aside the two extra yolks to make mayonnaise once you’re done with this. If you’re distracted, or just don’t feel like it, don’t feel bad about dumping them. Eggs are cheap. They’ll make more.

Start mixing the chocolate and butter together as soon as you see the chips start to melt.If you’ve never melted chocolate before, you might want to separate the eggs first so you aren’t distracted. When the chocolate is completely melted, and the sugar and cocoa are incorporated, remove it from the heat and mix the yolks in one at a time.

Set the chocolate mixture aside and let it cool to room temperature. While it’s cooling, add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat until it forms stiff peaks.

For the first minute the egg whites will just foam up a little. Then all at once they’ll turn pure white and look like a whole different food. Try not to deflate the eggs while folding. Once the meringue is completely incorporated, pour the mixture into a pre-baked pie crust.

Spread the chocolate evenly. If you’re fussy about this stuff (like I am), make sure the top looks nice. Freeze for at least two hours, four would be better. Cut with a very sharp knife, not a pie spatula. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Chocolate citrus cake

Ingredients
1 medium orange
2 cups cake flour
1¾ cups sugar
½ cup cocoa
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup orange juice
¾ cup softened butter
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
citrus buttercream icing

Before you start mixing everything, peel the orange. Toss the segments in a food processor and puree until smooth. Don’t use heat to soften the butter. Toss it in your mixer and beat until soft. Add all the dry ingredients, the juice, and half the puree. Beat at medium for two minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. Add the rest of the puree, the vanilla and eggs and beat for another two minutes.

You don’t have to line your cake pans, but it sure helps pop things out easier with less breaking. Here’s a great tip from Michael Ruhlman on how to make a parchment paper circle. I did it with wax paper. Whichever you use, butter the pan before you put the paper in.



Pour the batter evenly into two 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes. It should pull away from the edges pretty well, making it very easy to pop out. Let it rest for 10 minutes before inverting it into your hand so you can peel the paper off.

Let the cakes cool completely before assembling and frosting with the citrus buttercream icing. I put the top piece on upside-down so I’d have a nice flat surface on top.

“Dirty-ice” the cake with a thin layer of icing, then put it in the fridge until the icing sets. Then pull it out and, working fast, add a nice thick layer of icing. Return the cake to the fridge until ready to serve.

Ingredients
1/3 cup dry milk
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 egg white
¾ cup butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Directions
Combine the dry milk and the citrus juice and stir them together. Let that rest for a few minutes so the juice can dissolve the milk. This would be a good time to get the orange peel with your microplane.

Add the sugar and egg white (oops, forgot to get a picture of the egg white) and beat on high speed for 5 minutes, until thick. Add the softened butter and the salt and beat another 5 minutes, until fluffy.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse:
4 ounces (115 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

2 large eggs, separated

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

3 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

Garnish: (optional)

Whipped Cream

Fresh Raspberries

Shaved Chocolate

Chocolate Mousse: In a medium-sized stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Then whisk in the two egg yolks. Refrigerate while you whip the egg whites and whipping cream.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), whip the two egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add two tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, yet the whites are still glossy and not dry. Set aside.

In another bowl, whip the heavy cream, remaining one tablespoon sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.

Remove the chocolate mixture from the refrigerator, and stir a couple of spoonfuls of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, and then fold the remaining whites into the chocolate mixture, gently but thoroughly. Fold in the whipped cream.

Spoon the chocolate mousse into six individual serving dishes or glasses. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Can serve with additional whipped cream, fresh raspberries and/or shaved chocolate.

Makes 6 servings. Preparation time 20 minutes.

Sjokolade koek

1 K Koekmeel
1 K Strooisuiker (½ K vir die meelmengsel en ½ K vir die sous)
¼ K Kakao
4 T Bakpoeier (2 T vir die meelmengsel en 2 T vir die eiermengsel)
¼ T Sout
4 Eiers (eierwitte en eiergele geskei)
½ K Olie
½ K Kookwater
1 T Vanielje
1 Blik Idealmelk (vir sous)
1 Blok gewone sjokolade (vir sous)

Metode - Meelmengsel:
1. Gooi die koekmeel, kakao, ½ K strooisuiker, 2 T bakpoeier en sout bymekaar.
2. Meng apart die olie en kookwater saam. Meng dit dan by die droë bestanddele.
3. Klits die 4 eierwitte en 2 T bakpoeier apart.
4. Meng apart die 4 eiergele en vanielje saam.
5. Meng nou die eiergeelmengsel en die eierwitmengsel saam.
6. Meng nou alles saam.
7. Bak in 'n gesmeerde oondvaste bak teen 180 grade vir ongeveer 25 - 30 minute.

Sousmengsel:
Doen solank die volgende terwyl die koek bak:

1. Smelt ½ van die blik Idealmelk saam met die ander ½ K strooisuiker in 'n kastrol.
2. Gooi hierdie mengsel egalig oor die warm koek sodra dit uit die oond kom.
3. Laat koek nou afkoel.
4. Smelt dan die blok sjokolade en die res van die blik Idealmelk saam en gooi egalig oor die afgekoelde koek. (Heerlik ook as 'n nagereg opgedien saam met room / roomys.)

Chocolate icing

Ingredients:
1/4 cup melted butter (not margarine)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups confectioners sugar

Gather the ingredients needed. You will also need a large mixing bowl, a beater and a spatula.

In the large bowl, combine the butter and cocoa powder. For a better consistency, do not use margarine in place of butter. Beat these ingredients on a medium speed until mixed thoroughly.

Next, add in the milk, vanilla extract and salt. Beat at medium speed until smooth.

Gradually add in the confectioners sugar, continuing to beat a medium speed until the icing is smooth and creamy. For a thinner icing, add 1/2 teaspoon of milk while beating.

Chocolate trifle

Ingredients
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) chocolate fudge cake mix
1 package (6 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup strong coffee
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
6 Heath bar (1.4 ounces each), crushed
Directions
Bake cake according to package directions. Cool. Prepare pudding according to package directions; set aside.
Crumble cake; reserve 1/2 cup. Place half of the remaining cake crumbs in the bottom of a 4-1/2 or 5-qt. trifle dish or decorative glass bowl.
Layer with half of the coffee, half of the pudding, half of the whipped topping and half of the crushed candy bars. Repeat the layers of cake, coffee, pudding and whipped topping.
Combine remaining crushed candy bars with reserved cake crumbs; sprinkle over top. Refrigerate 4-5 hours before serving. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Huletts Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

4 eggs, separated
170g Huletts White Sugar
60ml (4 Tablespoons) cocoa
60ml warm water
75g butter (brick margarine), melted
2ml vanilla essence
160g flour
10ml (2 teaspoons) baking powder
30g (± 5 teaspoons) Huletts White Sugar

ICING FOR DECORATION:
150g butter (brick margarine)
280g Huletts Icing Sugar
A few drops vanilla essence
12.5ml hot water
45ml (3 Tablespoons) cocoa, sifted
Chocolate vermicelli
Strawberries (optional)

Method


Prepare moderately hot oven (190ºC).
Grease two 20cm baking pans.
Blend the egg yolks and the 170g sugar till thick and smooth.
Blend the cocoa with the water and add the butter (margarine) and vanilla essence separately.
Pour into the egg mixture and continue beating till well blended.
Fold in sifted flour and baking powder.
Separately whisk the egg whites and add the 30g of sugar and beat until soft peaks form.
Fold into the cake mixture.
Pour into baking pans, bake for approximately 35 minutes.
Turn out on cooling rack to cool.
ICING:
Cream butter (margarine), sugar and essence together, then slowly beat in the water and cocoa.
Sandwich the cooled cakes with a little of this and spread the remainder over the top and sides. Press vermicelli onto the sides and sprinkle on top of the cake. Add chocolate truffles or fruit (strawberries or black cherries are nice) if desired.

Chocolate Swiss Roll

Ingredients

200ml flour
45ml (3 Tablespoons) cocoa
10ml (2 teaspoons) baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 eggs
15ml (1 Tablespoon) lemon juice
25ml (5 teaspoons) water
200ml Huletts White Sugar

CHOCOLATE BUTTER ICING:
Cream together ¼ cup butter, 1 cup Huletts Icing Sugar, 25ml Cocoa

Method


Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Grease and line a 22cm x 35cm Swiss roll tin.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Beat the eggs until light and foamy, then beat in the lemon juice and water. Add the sugar gradually and beat to dissolve. The mixture should be very thick and pale.
Sift the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and fold in lightly with a spatula.
Pour the batter along into the prepared tin. Level lightly if necessary.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, then turn out onto a slightly damp cloth and pull the paper off carefully. Cut off the crisp edges to make the rolling easier.
Roll up and wrap in the cloth. Leave for a minute or two, and then remove the cloth and allow to cool on a cooling tray. Spread a thin layer of the butter icing over the cake before rolling up again, and decorating as desired.