Hi everyone. I wish to first start with an apology. In recent months my recipe blog has been a bit sporadic. As with a lot of people I had spread myself too thin, taking too many projects, jobs and hobbies on.
I have learnt to prioritise, and will from now provide a weekly blog for you to enjoy and use to make various dishes. If there are any culinary questions you wish to ask me, or even provide a recipe you would like to feature yourself, (perhaps share auntie’s maderia cake recipe or your own invention that everyone asks you to make) my email address is anewman835@aol.com
I’ll place your name with your recipe in the blog. This week I pondered what recipe to include, I turned to my daughter and asked what she felt would be good. Her automatic reaction was chocolate fudge cake. I have to say, I agree! This recipe is much loved in our house, very rich and moist, with a gorgeous fudge icing.
Ingredients (Serves eight)
175g unsalted butter (softened) plus extra for greasing
175g golden caster sugar
3 eggs beaten
3 tablespoons syrup
40g ground almonds
175g self raising flour
Pinch salt
40g cocoa powder
Icing
225g plain chocolate broken into pieces
55g dark muscovado sugar
225g unsalted butter
5 tablespoon evaporated milk
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
Grease and line the base of 2 x 8 inch cake tins.
Make the icing. Place the chocolate, sugar, butter, evaporated milk and vanilla essence in a heavy-based saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly until melted. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool. Cover and chill until spreadable (do not allow to chill too much, it will solidify otherwise)>
Preheat the oven to 180c (gas mark 4). Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Stir in the syrup and ground almonds. Sift the flour, salt and cocoa powder over the bowl, then fold in the mixture. Add a little water if necessary to make a dropping consistency. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and bake for 30-35 minutes or until springy to touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean
Leave the cakes in the tins for five minutes, then turn out on to wire racks to cool completely. When the cakes are cold, sandwich together with half the icing. Spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of cake, swirling to give a frosted appearance
This cake can be warmed through briefly in a microwave for 20- 30 seconds if preferred, serve with ice cream or cream, or both if you’re feeling indulgent!
Enjoy, I shall be making this for my daughter’s birthday next week, with many friends coming over I am having to make it a three-tier cake to accommodate the numbers. Hope you have a fun week, get cooking and have fun in the kitchen
Annette
