The heart of the home is definitely the kitchen, and the smells that abound on baking day. These cakes are total heaven to taste, but be aware that they can be very devilish on the hips.
Each cake here is to wonderful to enjoy and can be perfect for informal morning or afternoon tea, bridal shower or just when the craving strikes.
1/2 cup chopped raisins; 3/4 cup boiling water,
185 g butter, melted; 1 large egg; 3 tabs. dark rum; 1 teas. bicarbonate of soda; 1/4 cup cocoa; 1 cup castor sugar; 1/2 cup chopped pecan nuts;
Rich Chocolate Glaze
Chocolate Heart - 100 g white cooking chocolate; butter cream (1/2 quantity).
Butter a heart-shaped or 20-22 cm fancy or plain square cake pan, dust with cornflour.
Place raisins in bowl, add boiling water, melted butter, and
Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa and sugar, and mix well, gradullay adding in nuts.
Pour mixture into prepared cake pan. Bake in Moderate oven 180C for 50 minutes or until cake is form to touch. Cool 5 minutes, turn out on wire rack and set aside until required.
Top cake with 5 rosettes and arrange a white chocolate heart on each. Place small fresh seasonal flowers in the centre.
RICH CHOCOLATE GLAZE - 1/2 cup cream ; 250 g cooking chocolate, broken into squares.
Bring cream to boil in small saucepan, add chocolate. Remove pan from heat and whisk until chocolate is melted and mix is smooth.
Place saucepan in cold water to stop cooking. Let icing stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir again and pour over top of cake. Smooth with metal spatula until cake is evenly coated with icing.
HEART shapes - melt white cooking chocolate and pour into a pan to a depth of about 5mm. Allow to set, then gently turn out onto marble tile or laminated bench. Using a shap knife or fancy cutter, cut out the heart shapes.
TO COAT TIN - 15 g (1/2oz) butter and 4 tabs. flaked almonds.
CAKE - 1 cup boiling water; 125 g (4 oz) dark chocolate chopped; 1 teas bicarbonate of soda; 250g (8oz) butter; 1 1/2 cups caster sugar; 3 eggs (separated);
1 teas. vanilla essence; 2 1/2 cups flour; pinch salt; 1 teas baking powder; 2/3 cup light sour cream.
Generously butter a 12 cup bundt tin or 2 20 cm (8 inch) fluted ring tins. Sprinkle with flaked almonds, pressing them well into the butter to coat the bottom and sides of the tin(s).
Put boiling water, chocolate and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and stir til smooth. Cream butter and sugar until light, and add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla, then add chocolate mixture a little at a time. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder and fold in alternately with sour cream, mixing lightly until just combined. Beat the egg whites, until stiff and fold into cream mixture with large metal spoon.
Turn gently into prepared tin and bake in a preheated moderate oven (180C or 350F) for 60 to 75 minutes, for a large cake or 45 minutes for the 2 small cakes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Leave in tin for a minute , then turn out to cool on a wire rack.
500 g crumbled biscuits; 220g butter; 1/3 cup cocoa; 1/3 cup castor sugar; 2 beaten eggs;
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts; 1/2 choppped raisins; 1/2 cup chopped glace cherries;
2 teas. vanilla essence.
DECORATION - 100 cooking chocolate and extra nuts and chopped cherries.
Melt butter in medium-large saucepan. Add cocoa and sugar. Blend well with wooden spoon. Remove from heat and stir in eggs and other ingredients. Spread mixture into buttered and paper-lined 24 x 10 cm loaf pan, allowing paper to extend over rim. Chill until firm.
Melt chocolate in pan over simmering water. Spread over terrine top and decorate with nuts and cherries.
Allow to set then carefully remove from pan onto serving platter. Serve sliced with coffee.
4 large eggs; 3/4 cup castor sugar; 1/3 cup cornflour; 1 teas baking powder; 3 tabs cocoa; 2 teas vanilla essence; 2 tabs hot water; 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts.
DECORATION - 600ml thickened cream whipped; whole hazelnuts and melted cooking chocolate.
Beat eggs until thick and creamy. Gradually add in sugar and beat until dissolved.
Gently fold in sifted dry ingredients, vanilla and lastly hazelnuts. Pour cake mixture into 2 butter-brushed and lined 20cm cake tins.
Bake in moderate oven 180C for 20-25 minutes.
Cool on wire rack.
Dip hazelnuts in melted chocolate, refrigerate about 5m inutes to set chocolate and set aside.
Fill and top sponge and sides with whipped cream.
Decorate with chocolate coated hazelnuts.
FROSTING - 185 g (6 oz) cream cheese; 125 g (4 oz) butter; 1 teas vanillla essence;
6 cups icing sugar, sifted; 1/2 cup hot water; 125 g (4 oz) dark chocolate melted.
CAKE - 60g (2 oz) butter; 2 cups chocolate frosting; 3 eggs; 2 1/4 cups bicarbonate of soda; 1 tea salt; 3/4 cup milk; 2 tab raspberry jam.
First make the frosting. Allow the cream cheese and butter to soften at room temperature, add vanilla and beat well. Add half icing sugar, and blend in, then add rest of icing sugar alterntaely with hot water. Stir in melted chocolate, and mix until smooth.
Grease and lightly flour 2 x 23 cm (9 inch) round sandwich cake tins, and set oven at moderate 180C or 350F.
For the cake -- cream butter with 2 cups of frosting. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and stir into the creamed mixture, alternately with milk (beginning and ending with flour). Turn the mixture into prepared tins and bake in a moderate oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked.
Cool in tins for fewm inutes, then turn cakes out onto wire rack tocool completely. Join together with raspberry jam and top with remaining frosting, spreading it over top and sides of cake.
2 1/2 cups plain flour; 1/3 cup cocoa;
1 teas bicarboante of soda; 1 teas cinnamon;
1 cup sugar; 1/4 teas salt; 1 x 450 g can crushed pineapple; 4 eggs; 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts; 2 cups grated carrot;
1 cup polyunsaturated vegetable or salad oil;
Lemon Frosting -- 125 cream cheese softened to room temperature; 60 g butter softened;
2 1/2 cups icing sugar; 1 teas vanilla essence;
1-2 tabs lemon juice.
Sift dry ingredients together in bowl. Drain crushed pineapple. Make well in flour and add all other ingredients stirring to mix well.
Bake in moderate oven 180C for 45m inutes or until skewer comes out clean.
Lemon Frosting -- cream all ingredients together until light and fluffy. Frost cake as desired. Set aside until frosting sets.
serves 8 to 10
