When nothing but chocolate will do

Haven't been blogging much as I haven't felt any inspiration lately and it didn't help when I was down with the flu bug. Just when I was recovering from my what I call bland taste buds, that's when I bit into a bit of heaven, chocolate heaven to be more precise. I had a taste of the most moist, luscious and delicious chocolate cake ever at a little cafe called Old School Delights at 215M Upper Thomson Road. This cafe is less than a month old with a sweet old nostalgic tuck shop theme and the sticky chocolate cake I had was homemade by the aunt of the cafe owner. In fact, it was the first day she launched this new cake and it perked me up considerably. I enjoyed it so much that I forgot my usual blogging habit of taking a picture.

Most commercial chocolate cakes I've tasted these days are just not right, with some just having too much chocolate cream or mousse. Two or three digs at it and you know you've had enough. The right chocolate cake has to be rich and light at the same time, a contradictory balance. A rich topping,though not too much of it while the cake itself has to have a rich chocolate taste and light texture.

When I was feeling better, I decided to try a hand at making a chocolate cake. Chose a receipe from one of my many cookery books and what's unusual about it is that it can be made in a food processor. One of the more unusual ingredient used was sour cream which counterbalances the sweetness of the cake. The end result was a rich, immensely chocolatey cake which my husband and kids loved. It was different from the sticky chocolate cake in terms of the frosting but the cake taste and texture was quite similar. If anyone is feeling down or in the process of recovering from a bad bout of flu, a chocolate cake might do the trick. It did for me but then again, sweet delectables always cheer me up and I love chocolate :)

Chocolatey Chocolate Cake

For the cake

200g plain flour

175g soft unsalted butter

170g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons real vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

150ml sour cream

40g best-quality cocoa

Put everything above into a food processor and process till you get a smooth thick batter.

Bake in an oven (180 degree C for around half an hour )

For the icing

75g unsalted butter

175g best quality dark chocolate broken into small pieces

240g icing sugar

2 tablespoon golden syrup

125ml of sour cream

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Remove the lumps in the icing sugar through sieving or blitzing in a food processor.

Add this and the other ingredients into the melted butter and chocolate and whisk.

Spread the icing over the cake using a knife or spatula.

Bake a Cake

< Sometimes the winds of baking get to me and last Saturday just before Hari Raya, I got around to making carrot cake with cheese frosting, a fruit cake as well as chocolate chip cookies. Incidentally, my cousin called to tell me that she was in hospital with a fractured knee cap so my baking came in handy when I visited her. Also gave some to my neigbours and aunt.

Here's the receipe for my favourite boiled fruit cake. Great thing about this receipe is that you do not require a cake mixer to cream everything together. All can be done in a pot on a stove top 2 1/4 (375g) sultanas
1 1/2 cups (250g) raisins
1 1/2 (250g) currants
1/2 cup mixed peel
1 cup halved glace cherries
250g butter
1 cup brown sugar,firmly packed
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup water
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon golden syrup (can be substituted with treacle which will give the cake a darker look instead of brown)
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1 3/4 cups of plain flour
1/3 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Combine fruit, butter, sugar, brandy and water in saucepan. Stir constantly over heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer covered 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl, cool to room temperature.

Grease a deep 23com round (or deep 19cm square) cake pan, line base and side with baking paper.

Add eggs, golden syrup and rinds to fruit mixture, stir until combined. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake in moderate oven for an hour or so (this ranges from oven to oven, do check constantly for the first time)
Getting to know an oven is like getting to know a friend. Takes time but is rewarding :)

Keeping time : 3 months

Pad Thai receipe

Tried the Suree pad thai sauce and the dish turned out quite nice. Here's the receipe

5 prawns shelled and deveined ( can substitue with chicken )

2 tablespoons of Suree Pad Thai sauce

300g of Thai rice stick

1 piece of soya cake curd cut into dice

500g bean sprout

50g carrots thinly sliced

10g dried shrimps

3 eggs

3 red/green chillies finely sliced

Half cup of ground roasted peanuts

1 tablespoons of ground dried chillies (optional )

1 lemon

Half cup of vegetable oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Preparation

1. Soak rice sticks into a bowl of water for 5 minutes to soften it

2. Soak dried shrimp in a bowl of warm water to soften it

3. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil to fry the prawns (or chicken) and diced soya beans. Remove from pan

4. Put 3 tablespoons of oil in pan and fry the garlic. Then add rice stick, Suree pad Thai sauce. Mix together and remove from pan.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil, break eggs into pan and scramble, spreading egg in a thin layer over pan.

6. When eggs are cooked, return rice sticks and mix fried prawns. Add half of bean sprouts, dried shrimps and turn to mix together.

7. Spoon onto plates and sprinkle with grounded peanuts. Garnish with chillies (finely sliced)