Super Chocolatey Marble Cake

The other half was doing overtime this weekend so I was suitably bored! It was only 2pm and I'd already been to the park with the dog so thought instead of cleaning/napping/doing some other amazingly fun weekend activity, I should bake a cake. He likes marble cake too so with him doing lots of busy work I decided to make him (and myself) a yummy cake.

With marble cake it's normally half plain cake mixture and half with cocoa powder added...but this isn't chocolatey enough for my liking....i like to go that one step further! Here's the recipe....

4oz Sugar

4oz Margarine

4oz Self Raising Flour

2 eggs

1 tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 small bar of Milky Bar

1 small bar of Dairy Milk

1. Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy

2. Gradually beat in the eggs and flour bit by bit

3. Separate the mixture into two bowls

4. Break up your Dairy Milk (go on, have a piece for yourself) and melt either in a bowl over a pan of hot water or for a couple of minutes in the microwave (keep an eye on it if doing it in the microwave though as it can burn quite easily)...add the melted chocolate to one half of your mixture and stir in the cocoa powder

5. Melt the Milky Bar in the same way and mix into the other half of the mixture

6. Grease a round cake tin and add blobs of both the mixture in a random pattern until all the tin is filled

7. Even out the mixture with a knife and then take a kebab stick (is that the technical term?) and from the outside in do a big swirl round of the mixture

8. Cook on Gas Mark 4 for about 20 minutes or until cooked through

9. Take the cake out of the tin and allow to cook on a wire rack

10. If you like you can buy and extra bar of chocolate, melt it, and cover the top of the cake in it! Yum! I had this intention, but we just couldn't wait...and started on the cake!

A depressing Cake Friday!

No cake today...very upsetting. I can see the disappointment in the eyes of my colleagues...I'm so sorry peeps!

I'm a bit skint and to be honest i was quite comfy on the sofa last night...under my dressing gown (where has summer gone) watching Mock The Week. Feel bad about it...and to be honest would like some cake...but never mind!

Very exciting news though...drum roll please...I've got my second cake order...yippee!

I'm not sure if I'm being a bit too brave though...she wants one in the shape of Peppa Pig..eeek!

When i did my nephews 2nd birthday cake at least he was a member of my family and has to love me unconditionally...i don't want to ruin a poor child's birthday...oh the nerves!!

Should be fine though...I'm feeling pretty confident...how hard can it be? Tune in next Thursday to find out....

Cake Friday: Chocolate Orange Fudge Cake

Even though I had been asked to make another carrot cake (a really big one this time), I decided to go for a chocolate fudge cake. I wanted to do something a bit different so decided to try a zesty orange one...delicious! Went down soooo well! Apart from a customer coming into the office as I was desperately scraping the plate for left over icing. The only change I would make would be to use a better quality chocolate. I used a supermarkets own dark chocolate and it was a bit bitter. I'd probably recommend (i will defo do this next time) using actual orange chocolate...not sure if you can get it in a large bar, but you could always melt down an actual Chocolate Orange, or the Green & Blacks with orange and spices might also be pretty good...my mouth is watering at the thought!!

Here's the recipe so you can try it out for yourself...

Cake:

6oz Margarine or butter

6oz Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

3 tbs Golden Syrup

6oz Self Raising Flour

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 oz Cocoa Powder

Zest of an orange

Icing:

8oz Plain Chocolate

2oz Dark Brown Sugar

8oz Butter

5 tbs Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

A big squeeze of orange juice (if you are just using plain chocolate)

Icing:

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and heat gently until melted. Transfer into a bowl and cool in the fridge until set (mine took about an hour and a half)

Cake:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

2. Beat in the eggs and golden syrup

3. Gradually mix in the flour, salt and cocoa powder

4. Stir in the orange zest and a few squeezes of orange juice

5. Grease two round tins and distribute the mixture evenly between them, spreading out with a knife

6. Bake on Gas Mark 4 for 30-35 minutes

7. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave until completely cool

8. Sandwich the cakes together with half the icing and spread the other half over the cake and round the sides.

9. Put the kettle on, make a nice cup of tea and treat yourself to a big slice! Well, you've earned it!!

Nutty Flapjacks

After about 5 minutes discussing which muesli to buy in the supermarket yesterday I looked down to see the oats...hmm...not made flapjacks for a while...cracking idea! Even the other half likes them so I don't have to feel like a pig eating them on my own.

I have no idea why they are called 'nutty' flapjacks as they don't have nuts in them...odd! Used to make them with my mum though and loved them as a child so thought I'd make them as a football snack (come on Spain!)

Really easy to make and the cornflakes make them really nice and crunchy...unless like me you don't actually eat cornflakes so are using the ones left over from making the Easter nests which have lots their crunch a little!

6oz Butter

5 Tablespoons of Golden Syrup

2oz Dark Brown Sugar

3oz Cornflakes

6oz Oats

1. Put the butter, syrup and sugar in a pan and heat gently until melted

2. Stir in the oats and cornflakes

3. Line a 9" square cake tin with baking paper and pour the mixture in, smooth out until even

4. Cook on Gas Mark 4 for about 20-25 minutes - don't worry if it doesn't seem cooked when you take it out, it hardens up when cool

5. Mark into squares to it's easier to cut when cool

6. Leave in the tin, on a cooling rack, until completely cool

7. Eat with a nice cup of tea or coffee...or milk if you're feeling a bit sleepy...i am!

Weekend Review: Gilcrest

I was a bit hungover this morning after staying on at Seven (see previous post) and putting away a few glasses of wine...oopsy! We thought a bacon sandwich would do the trick so popped up to Gilcrest to get a butty. As I walked in I was greeted with a huge selection of home made cakes...how can a girl refuse. I spotted a bakewell slice and asked the girl behind the counter for this...unfortunately she told me this wasn't a bakewell but an 'almondy type cake with jam in the middle.' It took all my might not to get on my cake filled high horse and tell her that this, in fact, was what a bakewell was...I kept my mouth shut though and agreed to have one of her almondy slices! She was not actually that wrong, it wasn't strictly a bakewell. Instead of the cake topping it was...wait for it...marzipan! It still had the pastry base and raspberry jam, but this marzipan topped with crispy chopped almonds was a delight! Oh my word...what an amazing thing this was. I desperately need sugar after a night of drinking (my other half swears by iron bru but I can't stomach it) so this was pure heaven.

So feeling rough, I sat down by the lake at Golden Acre Park (dog still needs walking, even if all I want to do is lie on my sofa and watch Come Dine With Me) and ate my cake...my exact words afterwards were: 'that cake made me soooo happy!'

EJ Gilcrest

4 Stainburn Parade

Moortown

Leeds

LS17 6NA

0113 2684255

Weekend Review: Seven

Finally a review for you...obviously been too busy baking this week! We went to Seven in Chapel Allerton yesterday and it would have been rude of me not to do a cake review. There was a small selection of home made cakes, some cherry muffins, carrot cake (had enough of that this week) and a lemon and ginger cake...so I went for the lemon and ginger cake.

It was very nice. It contained large pieces of stem ginger so was quite strong in that sense, but you were still able to get a taste of the lemon through...nice and moist...very good! This was all washed down with an organic cider (got to on the weekend).

Seven itself is one of my favourite bars in Leeds and definitely my favourite in Chapel Allerton. The drinks and cakes are reasonably priced and the atmosphere is great. They put on events (it was Flamenco dancing last night accompanied by live music but we decided to stay out in the sun) and also serve hot food daily. We didn't take advantage of the food, but the people around us did and i have to say i was pretty jealous...it looked and smelled amazing! This being a 'cake blog' though i won't go into detail and should stick with the matter in hand...

I'd definitely recommend this place...cake yummy, staff friendly, atmosphere great, beer cheap! Perfecto!

Seven Arts Space

31a Harrogate Road

Chapel Allerton

Leeds

LS7 3PD

http://www.sevenleeds.co.uk/shared/cms/interface/view.aspx?id=22

Cake Friday Review!

3:15pm came around and time for the cupcakes to make an appearance. They were soooo yummy and a really good Friday treat...glad i've got about 15 left! :)