I need to make a chocolate cake.
Okay, I don't need to make a chocolate cake, but I want to make a chocolate cake.
You see, Blarney has just got out of hospital after spending last weekend and part of this week waiting for an operation. Thankfully it was nothing critical, but it did need to be dealt with then and there. Not great timing to be in hospital. She's had the operation, she's now home, but she's very sore and not moving too well.
So in comes the mate who helps out at times like these. (I've sprung Blarney from hospital on numerous occassions now - delivered care packages, babysat etc, etc) It's what friends do.
Besides, Barney rang and asked that I bring cake. How can you say no to a bloke who's stuck by himself with two nine-year-old miscreants?
Being in a lockdown state, we're not supposed to move very much - but there is a concession in the rules for people caring for others to make trips out of their home. Delivering chocolate cake and a fresh batch of pasta sauce to Barney and the Units, Chance and Lance, now aged nine, is allowable. You keep your distance, drop stuff in (I can get my book back for book group) maybe do some chores of cook dinner. I also get to make sure Blarney is okay. And most importantly, see the Maow Maow.
It's now twenty to ten. The cakes are in the oven. I'm thankful I've been making chocolate cake since I was a chile. The recipe is ingrained in my psyche. It always works out - it's very hard to stuff up.
Lucifer also helped. He's very good at helping. It always makes things better when you have a cat checking out everything you do. They're like fluffy quality control.
Oh, I only ever bake from scratch
So without further ado, here is my foolproof chocolate cake recipe.
You need:
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1/2/-3/4 cup of white sugar
2 heaped tablespoons of Bourneville Cocoa (I've only ever used this stuff)
1/2 cup of milk (I used macadamia milk this time round - seems to have changed nothing)
125g of melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade
2) Grease and line a cake tin (or two log cake tins as I have done tonight)
3) Sift flour and cocoa into a mixing bowl or food processor.
4) Add sugar and salt. Mix well.
5) Add eggs, melted butter, milk and vanilla in stages mixing well until the batter is smooth.
6) Place batter in lined cake tin.
7) Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly.
8) Cool cakes.
9) Ice as desired.
Don't ask me for my chocolate icing recipe - I make that from scratch out of icing sugar, cocoa, butter and a bit of milk. I can't give you amounts - it's made by feel.
These cakes will have smarties on top of them - as all good celebration cakes need smarties. Call them Easter / glad you're out of hospital cakes.
For me, it's also a good excuse to get out of the house when we really need to be home.
I'll still be within the law. We'll keep our distance in the house.
I'm just glad my friend is well and I get to see my other cat, even if only for a few minutes.
Today's song:
Okay, I don't need to make a chocolate cake, but I want to make a chocolate cake.
You see, Blarney has just got out of hospital after spending last weekend and part of this week waiting for an operation. Thankfully it was nothing critical, but it did need to be dealt with then and there. Not great timing to be in hospital. She's had the operation, she's now home, but she's very sore and not moving too well.
So in comes the mate who helps out at times like these. (I've sprung Blarney from hospital on numerous occassions now - delivered care packages, babysat etc, etc) It's what friends do.
Besides, Barney rang and asked that I bring cake. How can you say no to a bloke who's stuck by himself with two nine-year-old miscreants?
Being in a lockdown state, we're not supposed to move very much - but there is a concession in the rules for people caring for others to make trips out of their home. Delivering chocolate cake and a fresh batch of pasta sauce to Barney and the Units, Chance and Lance, now aged nine, is allowable. You keep your distance, drop stuff in (I can get my book back for book group) maybe do some chores of cook dinner. I also get to make sure Blarney is okay. And most importantly, see the Maow Maow.
It's now twenty to ten. The cakes are in the oven. I'm thankful I've been making chocolate cake since I was a chile. The recipe is ingrained in my psyche. It always works out - it's very hard to stuff up.
Lucifer also helped. He's very good at helping. It always makes things better when you have a cat checking out everything you do. They're like fluffy quality control.
Oh, I only ever bake from scratch
So without further ado, here is my foolproof chocolate cake recipe.
You need:
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1/2/-3/4 cup of white sugar
2 heaped tablespoons of Bourneville Cocoa (I've only ever used this stuff)
1/2 cup of milk (I used macadamia milk this time round - seems to have changed nothing)
125g of melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade
2) Grease and line a cake tin (or two log cake tins as I have done tonight)
3) Sift flour and cocoa into a mixing bowl or food processor.
4) Add sugar and salt. Mix well.
5) Add eggs, melted butter, milk and vanilla in stages mixing well until the batter is smooth.
6) Place batter in lined cake tin.
7) Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly.
8) Cool cakes.
9) Ice as desired.
Don't ask me for my chocolate icing recipe - I make that from scratch out of icing sugar, cocoa, butter and a bit of milk. I can't give you amounts - it's made by feel.
These cakes will have smarties on top of them - as all good celebration cakes need smarties. Call them Easter / glad you're out of hospital cakes.
For me, it's also a good excuse to get out of the house when we really need to be home.
I'll still be within the law. We'll keep our distance in the house.
I'm just glad my friend is well and I get to see my other cat, even if only for a few minutes.
Today's song:
No comments:
Post a Comment