Moist Chocolate Cake

Yeilds: one 9 inch cake

3 whole eggs, beaten
3 egg yolks, beaten
175gm self raising flour, sifted
200gm butter, softened
30-50gm cocoa powder, sifted
150gm fine brown sugar

1. With an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter till light in colour.
2. Add the beaten eggs (combine both) a little each time, ensuring it is well integrated each time.
3. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder. I use a metal spoon and fold in the same direction. I start from the middle and make a clockwise motion and end back where I started. Do not change directions as this will break the air pockets that havee been created.
4. Do not overfold. This will result in a rubbery texture. Stop once the flour has been integrated.
5. Pour into a well greased baking tin (or line with baking paper) and bake at 150C for about 45min.
6. When a skwer inserted comes out clean or u can see the sides have retreated a little from the tin, turn off the heat and keep the cake in the tin, in the oven for about 5-10min.
7. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely before storing.

Many recipes call for an oven to be at 170 to 190C. I prefer to reduce the heat and allow a longer baking time. This prevents the cake from drying out and burning and forms a nice even top.

Butter cake - same method, just replace the cocoa powder with the self-raising flour.
Marble cake - same method as butter cake. Aportion out an amount and add cocoa powder. Scoop both mixes randomly. Use a wooden skewer to swirl around the mix, creating the marbling effect.

Black & White

I promised some time back to post the cake I made for my mil's birthday. It is pretty simple. As usual, I try to find something relatively easy to do, looks good and tastes good. The only thing I am not happy about is that I like my cakes to have a softer texture when cold. But for this recipe, with the amount of butter in it, when the cake has been refrigerated, it will harden slightly. So you may say, take it out to defrost first....but the white chocolate icing will soften....dilemma *sigh* So if any of you have any solutions, pls let me know.

Black & White Cake

Prep Time: 1h 30min (45 min each for cake and icing)

Baking Time: about 45min

Cooling Time: about 2h

Serves 8pax

Chocolate Cake

5 eggs

225 g caster sugar ( i used fine brown sugar)

200 g self raising flour

50 g cocoa powder

250 g butter, softened at room temperature

Pre-heat the oven at 170C.

Cream the sugar and butter together until the mix turns pale in colour.

Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, ensuring the egg is well mixed before beating in the next egg.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture, a little each time (I go by batches of 50g) and fold into the mixture till all flour has been incorporated well.

Pour into a pre-lined and greased 8inch round baking tin and bake for about 45min or till a skewer (I use a butter knife) inserted comes out clean.

Let the cake sit in the tin for about 30min before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

White Chocolate Frosting

250g white chocolate, chopped into small pieces

70 g butter, slightly softened

200ml whipping cream

Melt the white chocolate and butter in a bowl sitting on top of simmering water.

In a separate bowl, whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks form and it can hold its shape.

Fold the cream into the chocolate mixture until it thickens.

Put it in the fridge to cool and let it harden slightly until it is manageable for spreading on the cake. Stir the mixture every 10min as it hardens.

To ice the cake, place the cake on a cake board or one of those cake stand that swivels. Using one hand to hold the cake base (with a little of the base jutting out of the edge of the table) and rotating it, with the other hand, use a spatula to form a swirling peak.