Bestest Chocolate Cake to end the bestest year ever

Well this year has been full of adventure and I largely neglected my blog - boooo. But I will end the year with one last post before a year of new and exciting recipes and treats to come.

This chocolate cake has probably got to be my favourite chocolate cake ever. There are no surprises, no special techniques or ingredients either. No bells no whistles to be seen. A chocolate cake with a difference. It is amazing without adding anything else to an already simple recipe. Sometimes you need a simple chocolate cake to hit the spot and this one does it time and time again.

Most ingredients can be found in your pantry already - it takes a few minutes to whip up and voila. A moist and light chocolate cake to satisfy your most wicked cravings.

All credit for this recipe goes to a lovely lady I once worked with in Canadia - Darlene - she made it, I stole it. I haven't tweaked this recipe ever apart from adding a little frosting - Now I said it needs nothing added, no icing, no sprinkles no fondant no sparks - but if you are someone who likes bling or wants to spend a few minutes more in the kitchen I suggest adding a nice fluffy toffee frosting to add a little caramel to the table. mmmm mmmmm (link to recipe follows)

Ingredients

2cups      (450g)    white sugar (caster)
1/2cup     (165ml)  vegetable oil
2                            eggs
2tsp                       vanilla extract
2tsp                       baking powder
2tsp                       baking soda (bicarb soda)
1tsp                       salt
2/3c        (165g)    cocoa powder

2cups     (450ml)  boiling water

Pre heat oven to 325deg F (160deg C fan oven) 

Grease a 8 x 12" pan  

In a large mixing bowl beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together (for at least 4minutes).

In a separate bowl dissolve the cocoa in the boiling water mixing to ensure no lumps.

Then add the cocoa mixture to the beaten sugar and egg mixture and mix.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the mixture and fold together. It will be quite runny but all is good.

Bake in centre of oven for 35minutes or until skewer comes out clean when tested.

Do let cool before eating - at least a bit - it cuts beautifully and keeps nice and moist!

See - easy as that!

NOW... although I said it doesn't need icing (which I really don't think it does..) I do love a little caramel on top. Here is a frosting recipe in case you are after a little extra bling!

*I have tried to make cupcakes from this recipe but they don't seem to work that great  - but if you do try and it works - let me know!!! :) 

Scrummy Banana Bread with Maple Syrup and Pecans oh and a little chocolate too

As kids we made banana bread every chance we could get - I remember my baby brother even made it (well he wasn't a baby but he was quite young indeed).  Then in college it was the one thing that my flatmates (boys) made! And when I was living in Honduras we would stop every between our dives at Fish Quays for fish burgers (and the famous banana cake!) Oh I can taste it now!

It was always and still is one absolute favourite and so very very moorish especially with a little toasted pecans and  chocolate added to it of course!

So over the years the recipes have been quite the same  (for me anyway) bananas of course..... nuts of some sort (walnuts or pecans) and chocolate chips or chunks was and is a must! :)

So after coming across the lovely Joanne Wheatley's recipe  (Winner of Series 2 GBBOI couldn't resist trying and tweaking to put my spin on it all and now I have made it over and over for friends, family, summer fetes..... I tell you it is definitely one of the best base recipes I have come across for banana bread - so go on.... go get her book A Passion for Baking and adapt as you wish (or not as it is perfect the way it is too!)

Ingredients for my tweaked version - makes 4 mini loaves or one large loaf (in long bread tin)
100g demerara sugar (I think this is the secret ingredient!!)
150g soft light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 brown or almost brown bananas
280g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
140g unsalted butter melted
2tsp cinnamon (optional)

100g toasted pecans or walnuts (up to you)

100g bag of chocolate chips or chunks of baking chocolate (dark/milk your choice)

2 tablespoons of maple syrup (optional but oh does it taste delish!)

 

Preheat oven to 150degreeC fan oven (170degC convec/325degF)

Line your tin(s) with grease proof paper or spray with quick release spray.

Melt your butter over low heat and set aside to cool while you make the mix.

Whisk both sugars with the eggs  until combined. Mash the bananas up and add to the mixture.

Sift the flour and baking powder together into the mix and carefully fold until all ingredients are combined  (don't over mix)

Add the butter (don't worry too much if hasn't cooled completely).  Stir until combined.

 

Stir in your toasted pecans or walnuts, chocolate chips or chunks, cinnamon and 1 tbsp of maple syrup.

On the top of the mixture drizzle the remaining maple syrup on top and bake in oven for about 1 hour. Check after 40 minutes with a wooden skewer to see how it is doing in case your oven is hotter than mine or if you are making smaller versions they will take less time to bake.

Once wooden skewer comes out clean remove from oven and allow to cool (if you can!)

Oi Vey! There's a first time for everything - This week it's BAGELS!

I grew up on New York style bagels not knowing there was anything different until I met my other half. He uses his Jewish roots to be the man of all knowledge when it comes to bagels - First of all it's BAY Gels not Bah gels. Then apparently you do NOT under any circumstances toast them nor do you fill them with anything other than smoked salmon and cream cheese. Bagel should be made never on a Saturday and not by a non Jewish lady. And finally they should never be flavoured - a bagel is plain.... I will under every circumstance disagree with him on every single point as there are so very many wonderful wonderful ways to eat bagels no matter how you pronounce it!

So week 2 on the wonderful Great British Bakeoff the signature bake was BAGELS! Horray. Finally I can have a go at making them - and with it being on the show I was given the go ahead! not that I needed it of course!

So my favourite bagels at the moment are Cinnamon and Raisin, toasted with a little butter. mmmmm the smells and the flavours for breakfast are just lovely. Of course I had to make plain ones as well just for the nod!

I didn't do so well at this round of bagels but it is my GBBO challenge just like everyone else on the show so I can't do anything but keep trying and sharing here tips on what NOT to do! :

I used a basic recipe I found online to make Kosher Bagels. This made me 12 quite small bagels so tip one - don't expect too many and don't make them small (they just are not the same!)
Tip two - don't speak on the phone when you are putting together ingredients or you might miss something out. I forgot the sugar d'oh. They still tasted nice however perhaps that is why I only got 12 small bagels...??

Plain Bagels
1 package active dry yeast  (7g)
1.5 cups lukewarm water
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of salt (yes a tablespoon - important to use amounts of salt in bread recipes that are stated!)
4 cups self raising flour
Cinnamon and Raisin Bagels
add 2 tsp ground cinnamon to the flour mixture
and 1/4 cup of raisins at the very end before kneading

To make:
Dough
Measure out the water into a bowl. Add the yeast and the sugar to the lukewarm water and allow it to grow for at least 10min.

In a separate bowl combine the flour and salt.  (and cinnamon if using)

After the yeast has activated add it to the flour mixture , add your raisins if using and knead until soft and smooth like a baby's bottom! It will take a while. Good for the arms! :)

Tip - after kneading for a bit, if dough is still too sticky add a little flour. If too stiff, wet your fingertips with water (just a little little) and continue kneading.

Place the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel or cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 20minutes or until doubles in side.

Tip  - if you have a proving mode on your oven do use it but make sure you don't use the preset bread mode which will BAKE your dough - d'oh!

Roll
Once proven, punch the air out and then the fun of bagel shaping begins.

On a clean and lightly floured surface roll out the dough and cut into equal rectangles (1" thick, 4x6"   pieces). Roll each piece into 1/2" thick logs and with wet hands (again just wet not soaking),  seal the ends of the bagels to form a circle. Wet hands important and a good seal is as well otherwise they will fall apart when boiling.

Preheat oven to 190deg Celcius (fan oven)

Boil
Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil, then turn heat down. You don't want it rolling boiling.

Place the bagels carefully in the water (depending on size depends on how many you put in)

Boil on one side for 3 minutes and then using a slotted spoon turn over and boil on other side for another 3 minutes.

Once done drain on paper towel.

Bake
On a greased/lined baking tray place bagels with space in between each.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve
You decide! Jewish or not it is all about what you love!

I will endevour to make many more of these and update this blog with more tips and tricks as they come!

It's what's inside that counts! GBBO series 3 now on and the challenge begins

The Great British Bakeoff (GBBO) Series 3 has started! Great way to start the summer in London!  I can't believe a year has passed since Jo & Holly starred in Series 2 and Edd and Ruth in Series 1 two years before! What inspiration these 4 have given me over this time! I have even had the chance to meet Jo & Ruth and trial out so many of their delights. I imagine this year will have more creative things to add to the recipe collection!! Can't wait!
Will it be Cathryn (I LOVED her cupcake inside her cake!) or Ryan or James or John? Sadly Natasha left in week one but the baking must go on!

So .... the sun is out and the oven is on - yes, should be outside but with the tempting ideas and talented stars on this year's programme, how can one not run off to create something exciting.
And that is what I have tried.....

Episode 1 - all about CAKE - and although I thought I would give each week's blind test a go but to choose over a Rum Baba (not a rum fan!) and the Cake inside a cake cake  - well  -I do like a challenge and to get a cake pattern right on the inside - my challenge was set - it was just my chance to try out something I have wanted to do for ages!

A spotty cake! On the Inside!

A little bit of chocolate, a lot of orange and some fancy colouring and I came up with this for my lovely friend's birthday! Still some tweaking to do to find the best recipe so that the batter is the right consistency, some trials with times and some thoughts on decorations but I thought for first time - not so bad! What do you think!!?? I will practice more and update here (if I didn't blog about the first attempt I would get so incredibly behind!!!)

how to make dots inside a cake (cupcakes in this instance!)

Find a cake batter you like - that is thick and not runny! I used  a double batch of my Chocolate Orange cupcake recipe but didn't add the cocoa until I separated the batter into three. (I am going to test again with a different recipe because I think this is a little runny and wasn't 100% about it - but it will just keep you coming back for more to see future attempts! Watch this space!

once you have a recipe you like, split it into 3 (1/2-3/4c x 2 and the rest for the main colour -  colour each whatever your little heart desires! For this version I made shades of brown:
1 . a very dark chocolate colour (which I added the cocoa into as well as some dark brown paste colour and a bit of black colour);
2.  I mixed a little bit of the dark colour mixed batter with one of the plain batters and that made a nice light/med brown colour
3. For the main colour I added a bit of ivory colour paste to the last largest bowl of batter

Place each coloured batter into a separate disposable piping bag (you can use a plastic sandwich bag for each and cut a small hole in the corner - but it isn't so easy to control)

Pipe a small amount of your main colour into the bottom of each cupcake case.
Then pipe a thin dot of the darkest colour in two places on top of the main batter.
Add a thick but smaller sized dot of the med colour on top of the darkest colour and then top off  each dot with another thin dot of the darkest colour.

That was wordy! But this is what it can look like

Pipe on and around the dots with another thin layer of the main colour and repeat the dots (try to put the dots in the opposite place to the first layer - if you can remember!)

Then top off again with the rest of the main colour. You should get 12 cakes like this.

Bake for about 15min on 160deg celcius (fan oven) but check to make sure it is baked completely when a cake skewer is placed inside and comes out clean. I couldn't wait to try later so had to see if they turned out before decorating!!! not bad.... not the best but.... not bad! Can't wait to try again

then you put a little decoration on top and wait for your friends to find the surprise themselves!

More testing of this
Some Rum Babas to try

and 

Cathryn's Apple, hazelnut and Calvados upside down cake is a definite future dessert! 

Next week is BREAD! Paul Hollywood's game. What does he have in store for the

bakers???!!!

(Ok I am late with the blog so we already know but it's a long weekend for me so a plait or a bagel or a flatbread.... we will see!)

HAPPY BAKING!