welcome...

Hello & Welcome everyone,

Hope all of you out there are in very good health and wish you all a very happy new year.

I have started this blog because of my LOVE for COOKING and to share some of the most distinct tastes and dishes from around the world that I have personally tried and liked, and since there couldn't be any better time to start this blog or to share the irresistible recipe of classic chocolate cake than on new years eve, so here it is...

and I almost forgot to mention, at the end of the blog is a short poll to determine which recipe would you like to have next week, please participate and continue polling and help me reach the ninth cloud by leaving a comment or two, do tell me how did you like the recipe and the blog as well, so till then tata and take care :)

Classic Chocolate Cake

Classic Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

  

1 1/3    cups (200g) plain flour

2 tbs    cocoa
1 tsp    baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g    good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
225g    unsalted butter, softened, chopped
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 tsp   vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/2 cup (125ml) milk 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 24cm round springform cake pan.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (don't let bowl touch water). Cool slightly.
4. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. With beaters on medium speed, add vanilla, then add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour in cooled chocolate and beat until well combined. Beat in a third of sifted ingredients, followed by a third of the milk. Repeat until all ingredients are incorporated, beating until smooth.
5. Pour mixture into the pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto rack to cool completely.
6. To serve, spread the icing over the top and sides of the cake using a hot palette knife, then decorate with chocolate curls.

 To make chocolate ganache: 

Melt 150g chopped good-quality dark chocolate with 125ml pure cream and 20g unsalted butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water). Stir until well combined, then set aside for 30 minutes to cool and thicken before use. 

Tip: you can even decorate your scrumptious cake with adorable chocolate curls, using a palette knife, spread melted chocolate 2-3mm thick on a hard clean surface such as a glass chopping board or marble slab that you can move. Stand at room temperature until almost set. Shave curls using a peeler or palette knife, pulling towards you at an angle. If the chocolate breaks, it is set too hard - leave in a warm place until more pliable. To make small curls, simply run a peeler along the side of a block of chocolate.