I know, I know! I haven't written in AGES! But I have been cooking and experimenting and I will put everything up in the next week or so! With pictures.
This is a chocolate cake I've sort of made my own. I've tried it twice, and both times was praised enormously! Everybody loves chocolate, don't they! Anyway, I made one that's completely dairy free :) So here goes... Sorry it's a bit simple sounding, I wrote it out for my Chinese friend Magie who says she can't cook. I don't believe her of course, but it's easy to understand even for those who believe the same!
This is a chocolate cake I've sort of made my own. I've tried it twice, and both times was praised enormously! Everybody loves chocolate, don't they! Anyway, I made one that's completely dairy free :) So here goes... Sorry it's a bit simple sounding, I wrote it out for my Chinese friend Magie who says she can't cook. I don't believe her of course, but it's easy to understand even for those who believe the same!
Easy
Chocolate Cake
30 minutes preparation
time
1hr - 1hr15 minutes
cooking time
READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS
BEFORE STARTING! Make sure you have all ingredients and equipment
before starting too!
For the cake:
225g/8
ounces (oz) Self-raising flour
350g/12.5
ounces caster sugar (or demerara sugar)
85g/3
ounces cocoa powder
2
medium eggs
250ml/9
fluid ounces milk
125ml
/4.5 fluid ounces vegetable or sunflower oil
2
teaspoons vanilla extract
250ml/9
fluid ounces boiling water
For
the icing:
175g
butter
125g
cocoa powder
650g
icing sugar
150ml
milk
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
What
you need:
A
large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon or electric mixer.
A
fork. A mug. Baking paper. A sieve. A hand whisk. A knife. A butter
knife (a knife that is smooth rather than sharp). Some weighing
scales. A measuring jug with liquid measurements on the side.
Two
low-sided cake tins, around 20cm x 8cm. Square or circles, your
choice! Or one high-sided tin. Grease them with butter (best way is
with your hand in a plastic bag so you don't get covered!). Line it
(if you can) with baking paper, and then butter the baking paper too.
Pre-heat
the oven at 180C/350F/Gas 4
How
to make the cake:
Measure
out all of your ingredients. Shake all the dry ingredients through
the sieve into the bowl: flour, sugar and cocoa powder. Make a hole in
the middle of the bowl, and slowly mix the milk and oil into the dry
ingredients. Crack the eggs into the mug and beat with the fork. Add
the vanilla and the eggs into the mixing bowl the same way. Boil a
kettle and measure out 250ml of water in the jug. Make sure your main
mixture is all combined before you add the water. Add the water, mix
with the wooden spoon – not the electric mixer if you have one as
the boiling water may burn you.
Pour
the completed mixture into the baking tin(s) and put into the oven.
The cake should be in the oven on the middle shelf for around 1 hour
to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check the cake around 30 minutes in to
check it's rising okay. After 55 minutes, poke the cake with a knife.
If it is ready, the knife should come back out clean. With this
recipe, it is okay if there is still some cake on the knife as this
then gives the cake a nice brownie like consistency.
After
they are ready, take out and leave on a cooling tray or wooden board
until the tins have cooled. Take a knife and cut around the edge of
the cake, making sure none of it has stuck to the sides. You may have
to use a spatula to loosen the bottom – but be careful not to rip
the cake. Tip the cake up-side-down. The cakes should drop onto the
board. Leave to cool completely. At this point, you can make the
icing!
How
to make the icing:
Wash
the mixing bowl! Make sure your butter is at room temperature before
using (leave out the ingredients while you make the cake maybe!).
Measure out your ingredients. Whisk the butter in the mixing bowl
until light and fluffy looking. Stir in the cocoa and the icing sugar
til smooth-ish. Slowly add the milk and vanilla until the mixture is
smooth. You may want to add more icing sugar to make a thicker paste.
Wait
until the cake is completely cool. Dollop some icing on each half of
cake. Pour some boiling hot water into a mug and put the butter knife
in it. Spread the icing around the top of the cake with the hot
knife. Every time you think it's sticking too much to the knife, dip
it back into the hot water. This should make it spread more smoothly.
When both layers are covered, put one on top of the other, cover the
sides if you can/want, and leave to set!
Cake
can be kept for up to a week if leftover pieces are put in an
air-tight storage container, not necessarily in the fridge. Icing can be kept a few days. I always have too much left over so offer it up as sauce!!
It
should look, something, like this: Good Luck!!
Enjoy!!!
Kirsty xx
