Mocha Cake

I challenged myself on Saturday...I didn't think it was possible to bake two completely different cakes at the same time, at least by me. But then I surprised myself. Coffee cake is best when shared with friends, that's exactly what I did. :)

Let me share this delicious recipe with you. I couldn't find Rachel's Allen's Mocha Cake on the internet so I typed out the recipe from the book.

175g self-raising flour
50g cocoa powder
225g soft light brown sugar (I used demerara sugar here)
175g butter, melted
4 medium eggs, seperated
60ml very strong coffee, cooled (I used 2 heaped teaspoons of Nescafe Gold coffee)
3 tbsp water
1x quantity coffee butter icing
Chocolate curls to decorate

For the icing:
100g butter, softened
200g icing sugar, sifted (I used 100g icing sugar here, because it tends to get too sweet otherwise. I just spread the icing between the cut cake and not on top as in Rachel Allen's recipe)
2-3 tbsp strong coffee

1.Preheat oven to 190 deg C. Oil and line a loaf tin (5 x 9in) or an 8 inch diameter cake tin, with parchment paper. I normally use a teflon coated cake tin and it's really easy to remove the cake without lining the sides. I do line the base. If using a loaf tin, line the sides so that it comes over the sides of the tin. Sift the flour and cocoa powder in a large bowl, add the sugar and stir to combine.
2.Using a wooden spoon or a hand-held whisk, beat in the melted butter, egg yolks, coffee and water until smooth. (at this point the mix is not very smooth because of the sugar, but ensure you have no lumps).
3.Whisk the egg whites in a large clean bowl until fairly stiff peaks form, then gently fold into the cake mixture in three batches making sure there are no lumps of egg white left.
4.Turn the mixture into the prepared loaf or cake tin and smooth the surface. Give the tin a tap to remove air bubbles. Bake in the overn for 35 mins, then reduce the oven temperature to 160 deg C for the last 20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
5. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 mins then lift out by the parchment paper (if loaf tin used) onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing:
-Place the butter in a large bowl and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon until it is very soft (I used an electric beater, just don't over beat)
-Add the sifted icing sugar and a coffee and beat until smooth.

6. When the cake is cold, remove the parchment paper. Using a bread knife, split the cake horizontally and spread about a third of the icing on the lower half with a butter knife. Place the other half of the cake back on the top and spread the rest of the icing over it. Decorate as desired, Rachel Allen also recommends using chocolate curls to decorate.

Tip- Rachel Allen's baking time is 35 mins plus 20 mins, however I found the cake was becoming very dry on the sides at about 30 mins into baking. It was perhaps because I used demerara sugar. So, keep checking while the cake is baking or the sides may get burnt (don't keep opening the oven door of course) and the top can get very dry. My cake baked in about 40 minutes.

Here are some pictures

Chocolate And Vanilla Marble Cake

This one is a classic. I simply love the way this cake looks when it's done. This is Rachel Allen's recipe. Again, a simple recipe but huge sense of accomplishment for me because of the way it looks and tastes. A warm slice of cake goes great with a scoop of vanilla icecream or hot chocolate sauce. Buying Rachel Allen's Bake! is the best investment I have ever made.

I was so excited to see the 'marble effect' when I cut this cake that I forgot to take a picture of the cut cake! Here's the cake before I cut it.

I made it again and this time I remembered to take some pictures of the cut cake

Spinach, Potato and Goat's Cheese Tart

I invited a few friends over and thought of baking this delicious dish - Rachel Allen's Spinach, Potato and Goat's Cheese Tart.

This is a simple tart, if you can buy readymade shortcrust pastry from the store. However, if you have to make the shortcrust pastry yourself, then it involves a little bit of work. Make sure you have sufficient time at hand because it involves many steps (with freezing and blind baking). So, if you want to make this tart, plan ahead. I used Rachel Allen's recipe for Shortcrust Pastry, and it was worth the time and energy spent! I was very pleased with the result.

As a variation- I also put in 4 rashers of bacon. It gives the tart a nice smoky flavour, and takes away the guilt having a vegetarian meal!

Here are a few pictures

Florence's Orange Cake

I made Florence's Orange Cake today (Rachel Allen's recipe). It's a nice moist cake which can be eaten with or without icing. Very easy to make.

The cake tends to be too sweet if you sandwiched it with orange filling and also put the orange glacé icing on top. I may skip the frosting on top the next time I make this cake.

I have some pictures below.