Thursday, December 31, 2009

Chocolate Cake is SO 2009

"Time is a companion
that goes with us on a journey.
It reminds us to cherish each moment,
because it will never come again.
What we leave behind is not as important
as how much we have lived."
~ Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: Generations ~

Chocolate Cake Recipe
(gluten-free)


It sank in the middle but it tasted yum and that's all that matters to me!

Ingredients for cake:
  • 3 eggs
  • 220ml sugar (I substitute 220ml honey)
  • 60ml oil (I use cold-pressed sunflower/olive oil)
  • 1 cup cake flour (I use Nature's Choice gluten-free cake flour)
  • 60ml cocoa powder (I use Nomu cocoa powder [90ml if using honey instead of sugar to compensate for the extra liquid])
  • 125ml hot water
  • 10ml baking powder (I use 1/2 tsp bicarb + 1 tsp creme of tartar)
  • 2ml salt
  • 5ml vanilla essence (I leave this out entirely)
  • P.S. For a never-fail, moist cake; stick to the original ingredients. If you don't mind a cake that sinks slightly in the centre but prefer not to use sugar, then use the substitutions).
Method:
  • Whisk eggs and sugar (or honey) together.
  • Whisk in oil.
  • Melt cocoa powder in hot water and allow to cool slightly. Then whisk it into the sugar (or honey) and egg mixture.
  • Add in the vanilla essence if you are using it.
  • Mix in flour, salt and baking powder (or bicarb + creme of tartar).
  • Bake in a buttered oven dish for 25 - 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
Ganache Icing Ingredients:
  • 100g dark chocolate (at least 50 - 70% cocoa solids)
  • 2-4 Tbsp cream
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp butter
Ganache Method:
  • Melt the dark chocolate into the cream on low heat.
  • Add honey if you'd like a sweeter taste.
  • Add butter once off the heat to give the icing a nice sheen.
  • Sprinkle with almond nibs to decorate.
Born-up-a-tree, thanks for reading/commenting in 2009
and have a fun (but safe) New Year's Eve!

xxx