I'm not really a Valentine's day fan - I have no problem with it and think it's quite cute really, but the red/pink/teddy/heart gifts are all a little bit over the top for me. I think it's nice to celebrate it a little though, and it is definitely a good excuse to bake a cake!
For a while now I have been wanting to try out a recipe I found in Good Food magazine for the Ultimate Chocolate Cake. I have been resisting, waiting for a special occasion, as there is a reason this is the ultimate - 400g sugar, 200g butter, 200g chocolate and that's before you get to the icing! However, the time had come and, in addition, I wanted to try out my heart-shaped springform tin which I have actually had for ages but hadn't yet used.
You can find the recipe here on the Good Food website if you want to try this yourself.
The cake is very rich and moist - it's almost a little like chocolate brownie, which perhaps isn't so surprising if you look at the recipe and the quantities of the various ingredients. It made me worry it wasn't cooked through, but I think it's okay! Mine did sink quite a bit which was disappointing - I think I might have opened the over a bit early. It wasn't early according to the time, but I had reduced the temperature on my oven since we have a fan oven and I suspect I shouldn't have turned it down so much. I think I just about managed to hid the dip by filling it with chocolate ganache though!
What do you think of the chocolate fingers around the sides? I quite like them, I just about got the effect I wanted. I had toyed with using whole fingers then putting actual chocolates (truffles, for example) all over the top so it looked like a basket of chocolates but especially with the cake dipping (and me not being able to find chocolates in time!) that didn't happen. I'm quite pleased with the result though.
Definitely one to try again! I think I'll try it in a normal round tin though and see whether this makes a difference. If you're craving chocolate, this is the ideal solution...
Happy Valentine's day!
Nice cake! I'm not a fan of Valentines day either. Why set aside one day for being romantic when you can be romantic every day without the clichés, gimmicks and expense!
ReplyDeleteIt has dipped rather a lot in the middle! Perhaps it was a little undercooked or maybe there was too much raising agent as I think that can make things sink too?
Did you include the coffee from the recipe on the website? If you did can you taste it and what difference does it make? Personally I'd just leave the coffee out as if you can't taste it its pointless and if you can taste it in the finished cake I'd still leave it out as I don't like coffee.
The chocolate fingers around the outside work. I had them around a birthday cake I had once, I think that was a mint and chocolate one though.
Ohh and I definitely would prefer it in a round tin...
Next time I will definitely be baking it in a round tin. I wonder whether the shape of the tin had something to do with the dip too, just because the cooking time will be a bit different. That said, the recipe does say it might dip so maybe it's the recipe as well.
ReplyDeleteI did put the coffee in, you can't really taste it (I reckon I could just about tell it's there, maybe!) but I think it probably stops the cake being too sweet as there's a lot of sugar in it.