Today I'd Much Rather Bake Than... is two years old - my official blogiversary. As an excuse to extend the celebrations and bake more cake though I decided to have an eight day blogiversary and which I started to rejoice over with this Cherry and Chocolate Orange Weetabix Cake. The post also in part explains my reasonings behind going overboard on an occasion which most people pass by with a brief regal wave, yet one in which I'm making a huge fuss over - namely in year 1 I didn't keep up blogging for very long but in year 2 I embraced it as wholeheartedly as time allowed. The other reason is that I'm still amazed my how much I have learned and all the support I have received from other bloggers - it all makes me gushily happy and there is only one way to make merry over it all. With cake.
I adapted a my mum's chocolate cake recipe, the one which is brought out time and time again, and I think I managed to make it that tiny bit better. The secret? I used oil instead of tub margarine. I tested the theory out a while back just as unadorned cupcakes and they turned out brilliantly, so much so that Mum actually said to me she might have to try it herself. My mother never plays around with recipes she thinks are good as they are. That speaks volumes in itself. Next I added icing. Chocolate chip cookie dough icing (alright, frosting, whatever you prefer). Yes I did.
Finally I crumbled up a Cadbury Twirl (a Flake would be just as goo) and sprinkled it into my mouth over the top and added some Maltesers. I might have eaten a few or more of those too in the process.
I was so pleased with my Cherry and Chocolate Orange Weetabix Cake because Weetabix Cake was my first ever post and it finally gave me the chance to revisit a recipe and make the adaptations I suggested at the time. That rarely happens with me. Too many other recipe ideas come along before I get the chance!
But this cake is something else. I couldn't let my such a date go by and not make something extravgent with chocolate. Just consider that this is actually the reigned in version. It was going to be chocolate wasted cupcakes until I realised just how many of the ingredients I would eat during the construction.
I wasn't going for neat and tiday with this bake. To be honest I never am because I'm always too eager to get down to the eating of the cake without the fuss of making things picture perfect. That would be too much time wasted when I could be enjoying my efforts.
The result was everything it ought to have been. A moist and airy base with none of the bitterness that usually accompanies such a deeply brooding chocolate spirit.
Reverberating caramel tones and a lushiously creamy, feathery light icing which provides a legitimate excuse to eat all the chocolate chip cookie dough you can manage.
What's more, the whole recipe is fun create and quick to produce. An all in one method in a traybake form requires only the minimum of mixing to combine ingredients then a swirling sheet of icing and a flourishing finish of chocolate. I promised cake at uni this week and I'm pretty sure this delivered.
Judging by how many people came back for seconds and the gentle rattle of crumbs in the tin as I walked home I made a lot of people happy, including myself and that can only be a good thing. Here's to the next year. May cake reign strong.
What's more, the whole recipe is fun create and quick to produce. An all in one method in a traybake form requires only the minimum of mixing to combine ingredients then a swirling sheet of icing and a flourishing finish of chocolate. I promised cake at uni this week and I'm pretty sure this delivered.
Judging by how many people came back for seconds and the gentle rattle of crumbs in the tin as I walked home I made a lot of people happy, including myself and that can only be a good thing. Here's to the next year. May cake reign strong.
Chocolate Traybake with Chocolate Chip Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Icing
The very best deeply chocolatey chocolate cake bases topped with luxurious chocolate chip cookie dough icing intensified by the caramel notes of brown sugar and finished off with a heavy sprinkling of chocolate sweeties.
Ingredients
- 170g caster sugar
- 7 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 120 ml milk mixed with 1 dsp vinegar and 2 tsp instant coffee granules
- 155g self-raising flour
- 0.75 tsp baking powder
- 0.75 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 45g cocoa
- 100g butter, softened
- 125g dark soft brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125g plain flour
- 60 ml milk
- 75g chocolate, chopped
- 1 Cadbury Twirl, crumbled
- 1 small bag Maltesers
Instructions
1. Set the oven to 170 C/150 C fan and line a traybake tin approximately 26cm x 20cm.2. Place all the cake ingredients into a bowl and mix together with an electric whisk until evenly combined. This shouldn't take long as you don't want to over mix.3. Pour the mixture into the tin, level and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 mins until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack then remove from the tin.4. For the icing, beat the butter until creamy then beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla followed by the flour and beat on high until really fluffy. Fold in the chopped chocolate carefully. 5. Spread the icing onto the cake and sprinkle over the crumbled Twirl then the Maltesers. Cut into sqaures and serve.
Icing adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Icing adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
P.S. I'm sharing this post with a new blogging link party, Cook, Blog, Share, by Lucy at Supergolden Bakes. Pop over and have a nosey at all
the other bakes that have joined in!
Did I read that right.... brown sugar cookie dough icing? WOW! Your bare chocolate sponge is a thing of great beauty too. It's so satisfying when a sponge rises perfectly! I also agree about using sunflower oil instead of butter. My favourite quick chocolate cake recipe uses oil too and it always produces a lovely sponge.
ReplyDeleteHappy blog anniversary!
Thank you very much! ANd yep, you most certainly read right - I thought I might as well risk it! i think I'll be using this recipe for a lot of things now after seeing how good the results are and how quick it is. There's something so satisfying about the simplicity of putting all your ingredients into the bowl and barely a minute later it being in the oven =)
DeleteThe cake looks stunning! I'm quite jealous of your course friends. Congrats on getting to two years. It doesn't come easy!
ReplyDeleteHaha thank you!
DeleteHappy blog anniversary! Such a great achievement and definitely one to celebrate with cake and lots of it!! This looks fit for a queen and is the perfect celebration cake. Here's to many more happy blogging years.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the cake looks delicious un-iced but that frosting sounds to die for. Yes please!!
Thank you very much! I had to, erm, keep checking that the icing was still ok. Frequently! Quality control is very important!!
DeleteLovely looking sponge Laura........ delicious-sounding icing and Maltesers to top.... does it get better? I so miss Maltesers..... why oh why do they have to contain gluten????
ReplyDeleteSorry! I know it won't be the same as Maltesers but you could try it with another sweetie instead. Do Toffee Crisps contain any gluten? I think they would make a nice addiction. I'm glad you like the rest of the cake though!
DeleteYour cake looks delicious - a fitting second blogaversary recipe. Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And brilliant link-up idea =)
Deleteoh wow looks so tempting.
ReplyDeleteCongrats and i pray that you enjoy and have fun in this blogsphere:)
Thank you! I've been having lots of fun so far!
Delete