• Jan
  • 06
  • 2015

chocolate mud cake

Ever since my sister introduced me to this mud cake, o-em-gee!! Like seriously out of this world good. Just look at the ingredients, no wonder it tastes amazing… loaded with real chocolate, sugar and butter! When she first made it for me, I ate without any guilt. Now that I made it and know whats inside, I could only have a bite…hehe But on a serious note, if you want to indulge and make it for an occassion, THIS is the chocolate mud cake to make. TRUST ME on this!

And this cake was what I made for a friends farewell party.

^Please excuse the bad photo quality. I was cutting it during the event and kids were all next to me hassling for a piece lol. This was the best pic I could take. Photo does not reflect how moist the cake actually is.

 

RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE MUD CAKE
Adapted from thrumykitchenwindow

Ingredients for cake

250gm butter
250gm dark cooking chocolate
2tbsp instant espresso coffee powder
150gm self-raising flour
150gm plain flour
60gm cocoa powder
1/2tsp bicarb soda
550gm caster sugar
4 eggs
2tbsp vegetable oil or light olive oil
125ml milk

Ingredients for chocolate ganache
150gm dark cooking chocolate
60gm melted unsalted butter

 

Method:

1. Grease a deep 23cm round cake tin. Line the base and sides with baking paper, making sure the paper extends well above the top of the tin.

2. Dissolve the coffee in 185mls hot water. Put the melted butter, sugar, melted chocolate and dissolved coffee in a mixing bowl and stir until corporated.

3. Dry ingredients: Sift the flours, cocoa and bicarb of soda into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.

4. Add the combined eggs, oil and milk; using a large spoon or spatula mix well into the dry ingredients. Add  half the cooled melted chocolate mixture (from step 2); stir well till there are no lumps.  Add the remaining half; make sure the mixture is well combined.  It should be of a pourable consistency.

5. Pour the mixture into the carefully lined cake tin. Place into a preheated oven set at 130 – 150degrees celcius. No higher.  It should be baked long, slow and low heat. Bake for approx 1 3/4 hours. It is not unusual for the top of the cake to develop a crust or for the centre to be slightly sunken. Place the cake on a rack; leave in tin until completely cold. Once cold; cover securely with a tea towel.  Leave overnight.

6. Turn cake out, remove all of the lining. Examine the cake. You want a level cake when it comes to decorating; therefore if it is not even it may be necessary to slice off some of the crusty bits until it is level with the centre of the cake. Sometimes the cake may have a slight rise. In this instance simply cut off the risen bit in the centre. Sometimes you won’t have to do a thing.

7. Once you have achieved a flat, top surface, turn the cake upside down. It is wise to do this on the serving plate with some cutouts of baking paper around the edges and under the cake. This alleviates any messiness and once the icing becomes firm, the baking paper can be removed leaving your cake looking immaculately decorated.

8. In a small glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Do not overheat. In another bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Once again, do not overheat or ‘sizzle’ the butter; just till almost melted. Pour this into the melted chocolate and slowly incorporate the two together. Stir until well combined and you have achieved a nice glossy, pouring chocolate.

9. Pour ganache onto the centre of the cake. Using a spatula or a knife, spread the ganache all over the cake. If the weather is hot or humid you can take a little more time to get it right. If the weather is cold you may have to work more quickly as the chocolate ganache may begin to harden.

10. Allow the topping to set at room temperature. If at any time you place it in the fridge you will lose the glossy shine. It won’t affect the taste, it just won’t look as silky smooth.


  • Dec
  • 25
  • 2014

Guilt free chocolate cake

Are you on a healthier sustainable diet? Or trying to lose weight? And you love chocolate cakes? Well, this guilt-free chocolate cake will definitely win you over. There is not butter, and it is substituted with avacado making it very moist. Surprisingly, you cant even taste it! Healthy eating does not mean you deprive yourself from yummy treats, you just substitute to a healthier alternative. I have been following Lose Baby Weight for a while and they have fabulous recipes, so do check them out!

 

RECIPE FOR GUILT FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Adapted from Lose Baby Weight

Ingredients

180g unsweetened dark chocolate, broken into small pieces (I use 85% Lindt)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1?2 cup coconut sugar (or other natural sweetener, such as Natvia)
1 ripe, medium-sized avocado, pureed
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp wholemeal flour
Cocoa powder, to dust

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a springform tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper. Wrap the outside of the tin in aluminium foil (so water doesn’t get in when cooking).

2. Place chocolate in a small saucepan and melt, stirring, over a low heat.

3. Add vanilla and sugar and stir until well combined. Add avocado puree  and mix thoroughly. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs for 1 minute or  until frothy. Add flour and beat again. Add the chocolate mixture and mix well. Pour into the springform pan.

4. Pour 1 inch (2.5cm) of water into a large roasting dish and place the springform pan in the water. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cake has just set on the edge but remains soft in the centre.

5. Remove the foil coating and put the pan onto a wire rack to cool for a few minutes. Turn the cake out onto the wire rack and peel the baking paper off the base, which is now the top of the cake.

6. Once completely cooled, decorate with cocoa powder or powdered natural sweetener to serve.


  • Oct
  • 30
  • 2014

Healthy chocolate coated coconut balls

 

RECIPE FOR HEALTHY CHOCOLATE COCONUT BALLS

Makes: 15 balls
Prep time: 20mins

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal
1 cup cocoa/cacao powder
3 tbsp stevia or you can use honey/maple syrup
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1/2 cup desiccated coconut (put in small bowl and leave aside)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl except the last one- desiccated coconut.  Combine all the ingredients well and shape into a small ball using the palm of your hands.

2. Roll each ball into desiccated coconut and you’re done! Too easy!

 

 


  • Apr
  • 27
  • 2014

raspberry, almond and white chocolate tea cake

In our family, we love berries. My girls can eat a whole punnet of berries in 1 sitting.

A few weeks ago we made a blueberry lemon butter cake, so this weekend, my eldest and I made this lovely rustic raspberry, almond and white chocolate tea cake.

All the ingredients needed to make this cake.

RECIPE FOR RASPBERRY, ALMOND AND WHITE CHOCOLATE TEA CAKE
Adapted from this recipe
Slices: 12 (20cm springfoam pan)
Bake time: 50 mins

Ingredients
150g (5.3oz) softened, unsalted butter
2/3 cup (150g/5.3oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
50ml milk
1 cup (150g/5.3oz) self-raising flour, sifted
150g  (5.3oz) almond meal, sifted
3/4cup (135g/4.75oz) white chocolate chips
150g fresh or frozen raspberries
2/3 cup (50g/1.8oz) flaked almonds
icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F). Grease and line base and sides of a 20cm springfoam pan.
2. Beat the butter and caster sugar until thick and pale.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add the milk, then beat to combine.
5. Fold in the flour and almond meal, then fold in the chocolate chips and raspberries.
6. Spoon into the pan, and smooth flat.
7. Bake for 50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
8. Cool cake in pan for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
9. Sprinkle generously with a layer of flaked almonds and dust with icing sugar.


  • Feb
  • 12
  • 2014

brownie butter cake

I love designing. But it is really hard to get that time alone to sit in front of a computer when I have 3 little ones at home. I tried a few times, with my 18month old switching the power to the computer off! So I never, ever work while the kids are around. And you wonder how did I get this post up? Well my eldest is in kinder, my middle child is having her afternoon nap, and here I am rocking my 2 month old baby to sleep  in the swing while I type on my Macbook beside him…ahh the joys of a SAHM :)

So anyway, I guess for now my love has shifted towards baking. As my eldest is nearly 4, she loves helping me in the kitchen. Lately we’ve made blueberry cheesecake, carrot cake, banana cake, chocolate cake and this yummy brownie butter cake. I actually came across this recipe via Rasa Malaysia on Facebook and it looked absolutely delicious that I just had to give it a go, and boy was I glad I did.  This is by far the best butter cake. Its so soft, buttery and the brownie is moist & chocolately -two of my favourite ingredients, butter and chocolate. You can’t go wrong there!

 

RECIPE FOR BROWNIE BUTTER CAKE
Adapted from Rasa Malaysia
Makes: 1 loaf

Bake time: 55 mins

Brownie:

140g (5oz) Dark Chocolate (broken into pieces)
50g (¼ cup) Butter
50g (¼ cup) Brown sugar
1 Egg
35g (¼ cup) Plain flour

Butter cake:

120g (½ cup) Butter
100g (½ cup) Sugar
2 Eggs
120g (1 cup) Plain flour
2g (¼ tsp) Baking powder
50ml (3 ½ Tbsp) Fresh milk

 

Method:

Grease and line a 10cm x 20cm (4×8-in) loaf pan with aluminium foil.

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

To make brownie, melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Remove and leave to cool slightly. Stir in brown sugar until blended.

Add in egg, mix well. Fold in flour, mix until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove.

To make butter cake, beat butter with sugar until creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold in sifted flour and baking powder, alternately add in fresh milk, mix to form batter.

Spread the butter cake batter over brownie, bake in oven at 160C/320F for 25-30 minutes or until cooked. Insert a cake tester in the middle to check doneness.

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