Chennai
English Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
165 gm butter
220 ml milk
330 gm sugar
260 gm flour
3 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp lemon juice
70 gm cocoa powder
For the ganache
275 ml double cream
1 tbsp golden syrup
50 gm butter
350 gm dark chocolate
To decorate
1 jar raspberry jam
Icing sugar to dust
Christmas decorations of your choice
Method
- Mix the milk and lemon juice in a jug. Put aside. Place butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the remaining flour with the sona and cocoa powder and fold in until the mixture is well blended.
- Add the milk to the mix and stir until smooth.
- Place the mix in greased and lined round cake tins. Bake in the oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes.
- Prepare the ganache — in a bowl over a pan of hot water gently melt together the ganache ingredients stirring gently from time to time until smooth and glossy. Cover with cling film and allow to cool to a thick spreadable consistency.
- Set the base layer onto a serving plate or cake board. Sandwich the layers together with ganache and jam. Using a palette knife coat the sides and top of the cake with the remaining ganache.
- Add the Christmas decorations to the top of the cake and dust lightly with a sprinkle of snowy icing sugar.
Kerala style plum cake
Ingredients
For soaked dry fruits
½ cup raisins
½ cup dried cranberries
6-8 apricots
5 dates (seedless)
½ cup cashews
½ cup almonds
1 cup rum (or more)
For caramel syrup
1 cup sugar | ½ cup water
For cake
2 cups + 2tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
1½ cup powdered sugar
4 eggs (at room temperature)
Zest of one orange
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon powde
½ tsp dry ginger powder
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp rum (from the soaked dry fruits)
Method
Preparation of fruits
- Chop dry fruits and nuts into bite size pieces, transfer to container. Pour the rum into the container and ensure that the contents are completely immersed in it. Place its lid and keep the container tightly closed. Soak the fruits for at least 2 days, you can even preserve them up to 6 months.
- As the sugar melts and turns golden in colour, lower the flame and give it a quick stir. When the colour changes to dark brown, switch off the flame and take the pan off the heat.
- Add the rest of the water a tablespoon at a time and stir. Once ready, keep it aside to cool down.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease/line a pan with parchment paper.
- Drain the rum soaked fruits and keep the liquid aside for later use. To the drained fruits, add 2 tbsp flour and mix to coat the fruits. Keep aside.
- Separate egg whites and yolks. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, set aside.
- Prepare the dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Keep aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add egg yolks followed by grated orange zest, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, nutmeg and dry ginger powder. Beat well.
- Add the cooled caramel syrup, dry ingredients, and the beaten egg whites in two batches, beat lightly until well combined.
- Add the flour coated dry fruits into the batter along with 2tbsp of the drained rum. Fold in all the ingredients thoroughly.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for two hours, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes.
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