I have in my ‘possession’ a 3 year old vegetable rejecter. Lawrence is not a fan of anything green, unless it’s a lollipop. Then he will just about tolerate it, but would much prefer the red or range lolly variety. READ MORE
It’s my wedding anniversary this week and I have struggled with whether to address it, whether to write anything at all about what’s going on in my personal life. It feels a little too, well, personal. For one, I am scared of the commentary. I know divorce is very disappointing to people. It dashes their hopes, it increases their fears and it shines a light on any relationship problems of their own. READ MORE
I’m not going to mess about. I have stuff to do. The kids are at their Dad’s house over the Easter weekend so it is DIY central here. There’s a drain to unblock, a fence to erect, shelves to drill in and lino for a playhouse to buy. I have even painted the inside of the playhouse with rogue tester pots. Yes, I’m THAT kind of busy. READ MORE
Well, it’s semi final week on the Great British Bake Off. What do you think of this series? It feels more sedate to me. That’s not meant in a negative way. I mean it well. It seems to have found its way back to where it came from. I like all the contestants, there feel to be less pantomime dames. It’s a happier, less controversial place this year. I wonder if this is in anticipation of being away next year before they start again on Channel 4 in 2018? Almost like having a little good will in the bag. Anyway, who cares. I’ve been working with Aldi and I have an amazing chocolate cake complete with chocolate collar that we made to celebrate all the wonderful Team GB medal wins. But you could adapt it for any ocassion – there are instructions on how to write any message into the collar. Yes, I love you all that much. There’s even a video:
This is the chocolate cake of my childhood. One mouthful and I am transported to happy memories of chocolatey cake crumbs and ice cold milk. READ MORE
Oh how we love The Hungry Caterpillar in this house. It’s surely the perfect children’s book. Delicious treats? Tick. Gluttony? Tick. Magical transformation? Tick. Delightful words. Tick. Pokability? Tick. And those illustrations? Triple tick. We just love it.
So to hear that Eric Carle was publishing a book about surrealism, called, quite obviously The Nonsense Show, well, we had to try it out. (Yes, my sons are born of one art graduate and one would-be art graduate). READ MORE
Today I attended a Mother’s Day assembly that not one of my sons’ featured in. Not one. No, I was not being a kind soul and sitting in the audience watching a friend’s child whose mother has to work. Nor am I some kind of Mother’s Day service addict; a woman who can only cry through watching emotional clip art on a projected Power Point presentation set to Enya. (Like Helena BC’s character in fight club, though I seem to recall she was addicted to support groups). No, no and no. I am just deeply disorganised, though not in the traditional sense.
One of my very good friends, who I shall call Helena (for that is her name) noticed my strangely efficient style of disorganisation at university and commented that because I display a ruthlessly efficient façade everyone trusts me to know what to do, get them to places on time and generally mother people. But it’s all just smoke and mirrors and today reader, my cover has been blown.
Here is a pudding that is ruthlessly efficient. It uses these fantastic flan cases from Iced Jems. Serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream and perhaps some slices of banana. Or just alone if you’re in a not-very-efficient mood.
Lots of great recipes like this in my book, Recipes from a Normal Mum, out now… on Amazon, The Works, at Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets.
One year ago: Florentine quiche and Flourless chocolate cake and Cadbury Creme Mini Egg chocolate flapjackand School fair rocky road
Two year ago: White chocolate & cranberry hot cross buns and Cadbury creme egg mess and Banoffee pecan mini pavs
Three years ago: Easter Apostles scone loaf and Carrot cake in a cup for Mother’s Day and Cranberry oaty biscuits
Four years ago: Mini chocolate birds nests and Puff pastry and Walnut bread
15 minute chocolate cake puddings
Makes 8 flan shapes or 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and pop 8 flan cases onto a baking tray. If you don’t have flan cases like these ones from Iced Jems then you could line a 12 hole cupcake tray with cases but beware that the cakes will take longer to bake – so these will be more like 20 – 25 minute chocolate cake puddings rather than speedy 15 minute ones. Right, logistics over. Ready?
Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk with a hand whisk (or you can do this in a stand mixer or with an electric hand held mixer if you prefer) for 3 minutes. Then divide the mixture between the 8 flan cases equally and bake for 15 minutes. Check them after 10 minutes as all ovens are different and you don’t want a dry chocolate cake.
Either serve immediately with a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream and maybe some chocolate chips for good measure or serve alone. Cream might be nice too. These can of course also be eaten cold, just as a cake.
I get asked an awful lot about gluten free baking and when I explain that I’m really not very experienced in that department I usually get the reply that it’s easy and I should look into it. Well it’s still on my list of things to do, but I’m afraid as Baby Bell #3 gets steadily closer to being baked other stuff takes over – like sorting through baby clothes, assembling the cot and practising my hypno birthing in the hope I won’t completely embarrass myself by crying and screaming like an angry toddler when faced with the joy that is labour.
What I have instead is a cake that’s naturally gluten free and that also tastes delicious. I really do love this cake, it’s almost damp, which isn’t an adjective you’ll find me use very often, but it is correct. It also has a crunchy meringue like crust that’s addictive.
One year ago: White chocolate & cranberry hot cross buns and Cadbury creme egg mess and Banoffee pecan mini pavs
Two years ago: Easter Apostles scone loaf and Carrot cake in a cup for Mother’s Day and Cranberry oaty biscuits
Three years ago: Mini chocolate birds nests and Puff pastry and Walnut bread
Gluten free chocolate cake
Ingredients:
For the icing:
Preheat the oven to 150C/gas mark 2. Grease and line a 20cm round, loose springform cake tin. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second blasts or use the bain marie method, stir and set aside to cool. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and set aside. Then in a separate bowl beat the yolks, butter, sugar and almonds until light and fluffy – about 7 minutes by hand or 4 in a KitchenAid. Add the dark chocolate and give it another good beating until well combined.
Take a third of the egg whites and use a spatula to stir into the chocolate cake mixture. You are aiming to loosen the mixture so simply stir well rather than fold. Then when that third has disappeared take the rest of the egg whites and fold into the mixture using large slicing motions with a metal spoon. When all traces of egg white are gone pour/spoon into the tin and bake for 45 – 50 minutes until the top has risen and started to crack a little. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing from the tin to full cool. Do not worry if the cake sinks a little upon cooling.
To make the icing simply melt the chocolate (as before) and the butter together, stir well then leave to set a little in the bowl before spooning over the top of the cooled cake. (I turn my cake upside down for a smoother top side.) Leave to set at room temperature.
Serve with berries, ice-cream or simply alone. The texture is dense and damp, very grown up indeed.
Everyone needs a very easy yet fabulous chocolate cake up their sleeve to stir up with minimum time and fuss and then sit back and enjoy the compliments. I know that sounds like an impossibility but this recipe really is the business. I only learnt it 3 weeks ago (from the ladies at Sainsbury’s) and have already made it three times, once for my Mums birthday where I used 600mls double cream, 400g milk chocolate and 100g dark chocolate to make a very rich ganache. Add to that a whole tub of glace cherries and my mother was in cake heaven.
If you wanted to write a name or message on the top of the cake then using melted chocolate is a fine idea. Just make sure you let it slightly re-solidify (at room temperature) before attempting to pipe it. Otherwise it’s chocolate everywhere… which could be seen as either a positive or negative depending on your persuasion.
All comments gratefully received. I love reading them. Oh and there are videos too. The cake:
And melting chocolate:
One year ago: Octonauts cupcakes and Walnut, fudge and Fleur de Sel cookies
Two years ago: Mutter paneer and Hot cross biscotti
No mixer required chocolate cake
Ingredients:
Take butter and eggs out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180ºC, fan 160ºC, gas 4. Grease two 22cm round cake tins (spring form or loose bottomed) and line the base & sides with baking parchment. Mix the cocoa powder with 200ml boiling water, stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly. That paste will distribute the chocolate flavour. Take a big mixing bowl (you want to get plenty of air into the mixture) and sift 300g self-raising flour together with two teaspoons of baking powder into the bowl. Hold the sieve up to get plenty of air in for a lighter cake.
Add 4 beaten eggs, the liquid cocoa mixture, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 400g of caster sugar, 50ml of sunflower oil and 250g of melted unsalted butter to the flour mixture. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth, divide the mixture equally between the two cake tins and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. Add ganache, buttercream, whipped double cream… even ice-cream and then decorate. Here’s what I did to mine:
Forgive me the name. I remember many a cake being called this in the 80s, mostly on chain pub menus. Not sure I ever felt those mass produced, icy cold, spongey (as in sea sponge, not sponge cake) textured cakes lived up to the hype though. I recently tried the choc cake at Nando’s and well, it’s probably one of the best chain restaurant cakes I’ve ever tasted.* I helped my son eat a portion, as in I ate 85% of the slice.
This chocolate cake is light and tender, leading you into a false expectation of a not too chocolately hit. Then the ganache filling and icing hits you and it’s time to sit down, cram the rest into your mouth and maybe have a glass of milk to counter the effects of the richness. I decorated this particular cake rather conservatively as it was a gift for a friend. If I were decorating it for myself I’d cover the entire thing in chopped up chocolate bars and Smarties. Then I’d sit down with a large fork and dive straight in…
*No, Nando’s haven’t paid me to say that, however if they would like to give me a free slice of cake every now and again I’d be very much up for that. I have elasticated trousers ready should such an occasion arise.
Ingredients:
150g castor sugar
175g margarine/butter at room temperature
150g plain flour
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
30g cocoa powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
35g Greek yoghurt
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300mls double cream
200g dark and 100g milk chocolate, broken into squares
Chocolate bar(s) of your choice
Preheat the oven to Gas 4/180C. Butter and line two tins with greaseproof paper. I used 8.5 inch wide ones. Cream together the sugar and butter/margarine until light and fluffy. I use an electric hand mixer for this. Scrape down the bowl and add in the flour, eggs, bicarb of soda, cream of tartar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and Greek yoghurt. Whizz up for about 4 minutes with the handheld mixer until all combined, light and fluffy.
Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and level with the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Once the cakes are ready they should be well risen (one may have cracked a little – worry not) and a toothpick should come out of the centre of the cakes clean. Leave to cool for ten minutes in their tins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the chocolate ganache, pop the cream into a saucepan and heat until it starts to bubble, remove from the heat, then add the chocolate and stir, stir, stir until the mixture is completely molten and without any chocolate lumps showing. Leave to cool until the mixture has thickened, (this takes a couple of hours at room temp, you can pop in the fridge but the ganache may lose its shine) then spoon about two large tablespoons onto one of the cakes already secured to the cake board with a tiny bit of ganache . Spread evenly, though not all the way to the edges, possibly add a little more if you wish, then place the other cake on top.
Add the rest of the ganache to the top and then decorate with chopped up chocolate bar(s). Leave to set. Eat or give to people you love.
Holly Bell 