I am no expert at this. I haven’t done a baking course, I have no idea what a fluted flan ring is, and I haven’t (yet) made homemade croissants. But, there is just something about baking. It helps me to relax and unwind. I’m not entirely sure if it’s the methodical pouring, mixing and measuring or consuming the results that does it – but either way I love it! 2012 is the year of the cake, so here we go with cake number one – a plum & ginger chocolate cake.
What you need for the cake bit:
- 100g demerara sugar (I didn’t know was this was but turns out you can get it at any supermarket)
- 250g good-quality plum jam
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 60g cocoa powder
- 175g butter, cubed
- 300ml milk
- 2 large eggs
- 260g cake flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the icing:
- 250g icing sugar
- 80g butter, softened
- ¼ cup good-quality plum jam
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 15ml (1 tbsp) boiling water
- 80g dark chocolate, melted
The method to the deliciousness:
- Preheat the oven to 170˚C. Grease and line 2 x 21cm spring-form cake tins.
- In a medium saucepan mix together the sugar, jam, lemon juice, spices and cocoa powder. Add the butter and heat gently until the butter has melted; stir well to combine.
- Beat the milk and eggs together and whisk into the jam mixture.
- Sieve the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the cake tins and bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 20 – 25 minutes.
- Place the tins on a cooling rack and leave to cool for 15 minutes before turning out.
- For the icing, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl, add the butter, jam, lemon juice and water and beat until soft and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the chocolate and beat well
- Sandwich the cold cakes together with a third of the icing. Swirl the remainder over the top and sides of the cake and decorate as desired.
The result should be a dense, moist and spicy chocolate cake! Geniet!
Recipe courtesy of www.foodandhome.co.za
