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