Chocolate Courgette Cake

It's been a while since I've managed to get round to uploading a new recipe but that doesn't mean I haven't been baking, just that I've been eating it before I upload! 

This is a great cake that I adore. My parents' veggie garden produces a glut of courgettes every year and so we have to eat them in all shapes and forms, my favorite is in the form of a cake! Last year I went down the fruity lemon and courgette cake route and this year I've been enjoying chocolate and courgette cake, I hope you do too.

Serves 12

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Bake to perfection for 25-30 minutes

You will need the following:

Cake

175g Sunflower Oil 

80g Golden Caster Sugar 

30g Maple Syrup or Honey

2 Eggs 

175g Raw Cocoa or dark chocolate

100g Self Raising Flour

100g Ground Almonds

1tsp Bicarbonate of soda

1tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Ground Cinnamon

225g Finely Grated Courgette

2tbsp Water

Method:

Mix the oil, sugar and syrup together

Add in the eggs and beat well

until the mix turns a pale cream colour

Break up your chocolate into chunks so that when you heat the chocolate cooks at an even pace

put the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Stir over a gentle heat

until the chocolate is a smooth sauce

grate the courgette on the fine setting and squeeze out the excess water using your hands

stir in the courgette to the mix

and then add in the melted chocolate

add in the baking powder, bicarb and ground cinnamon

sift in the flour and almonds and gently fold into the mix

stir in the water

 line a square baking tin with a bit of grease-proof paper to make your life easy when lifting out the cake

leave in the oven and check every 5 minutes with a skewer or knife after 20 minutes and when the skewer/ knife comes out clean, the cake is ready

 let cake rest on a cooling rack

There is no need for an icing for this cake as it is so moist

Enjoy with some ice cream or a cup of tea!

Creme Egg Cake

This was an eventuality. Its that time of year, chocolate Easter eggs have been on sale for just over a month and we are falling captive to the various supermarket deals on those moreish eggs that are only available for a few months a year.

There seems to be lots of recipes using Cadbury Creme Eggs, brownies in particular. So thought I might as well make a Cadbury Creme Egg cake...hope you enjoy making this one.. super easy and fairly damn impressive! (Makes a brownie-like cake)

Serves 12

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Bake to perfection for 25-30 minutes

You will need the following:

Cake

350g Butter 

350g Golden Caster Sugar 

6 Eggs 

75g Cocoa

200g Self Raising Flour

100g Nutella 

Middle White Icing 

150g Icing Sugar 

2Tbsp Water 

Middle Orange Icing

75g Icing Sugar

1Tbsp Water 

1Drop of Orange Colouring

Juice of Half an Orange

Chocolate Top Icing

200g Nutella

50g Icing Sugar 

2Tbsp Water 

2 80g packets of mini Creme Eggs, halved

Method:

Cream together your butter and sugar 

Add in your eggs one at a time, once the previous has combined into the mix

Sift in the Cocoa Powder and fold into the mix

Sift in the Flour and fold into the mix 

Add in the Nutella 

Divide between two 9inch tins

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes

Make your three icings whilst the cake is cooking by combining the ingredients in 3 separate bowls, as set out in the ingredients above

Once the cakes have cooled build your cake

Cover the bottom cake with the white icing 

On top of the white icing pour the orange icing in the middle 

Stack the second cake and pour over the chocolate icing 

Halve the mini Creme Eggs and place around the edge of the cake 

Eat!!!

Enjoy...

Nutella and White Chocolate Marble Cake

First recipe of the New Year.. and the first month of the New Year is almost over! Life seems to be going increasingly quickly nowadays, the weeks race by and the weekends even quicker.. I thought it was about time to share a recipe as we have done nearly all of Jan now. The New Year resolutions should be in full flow, although some might be tittering on the verge of collapse, diets might be wobbling slightly, mine was as wobbly as jelly on a plate from day one, dry Janners might be getting thirsty and certainly as I have seen in the gym, the fitness regimes might be slowing down. My New Year resolution is staying though, although isn't as tough as changing a routine it is more adhering to a principle. That principle is to look after myself better... something that I have realised I need to do better. This encompasses a better diet and exercise but also to take more time for me, have more fun and most importantly be less stressed and hopefully if I do all of the above I will be the best I can be. That's the hope anyway... 

I thought I would share a recipe with you that is super easy and super impressive. A good birthday cake, one to show off to friends about, or one just to please yourself with and break the New Year diet!!

Serves 12

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Bake to perfection for 35-40 minutes

You will need the following:

Cake

350g Butter

150g Caster Sugar

200g Golden Caster Sugar

350g Self Raising Flour 

6 Eggs

75g Coca Powder

100g Good Quality Chocolate 

1Tsp Baking Powder 

1Tbsp Milk

Icing

200g Nutella

200g Icing Sugar

1Tbsp Milk

Chop the butter into small pieces and start to soften with a spoon

Cream together the sugar and butter

Once creamed together add the eggs one at a time and beat in to the mixture before adding the next

Slowly sift in the flour and fold into the mix

 Split the mixture in half using another bowl

Melt the chocolate in a bowl for 1 minute in the microwave and add to one half of the mixture

Then add in the cocoa powder

In the other half (the plain mix) add in the milk

 Next artfully dollop half of each mix into one tin and half into another ... when pouring in, envisage the marble effect that you will have when you cut into a slice

Using a spoon smooth the mixture into swirls

Whilst the cake in baking mix nutella, milk and icing sugar in a bowl until smooth

Once your cake has cooled spread the nutella mix on the top of the bottom layer

Place the top layer ontop of the nutella layer and start to smooth over the entire cake

Tip: Dollop half of your mix  on the top and start to smooth outwards in a circular motion using the back of a spoon. 

Once covered place in the fridge to set

Whilst the icing is setting, melt the white chocolate in a microwave for 1 minute

 

Artfully drizzle over your cake and try to resist not eating it!

Place in the fridge once again to set for 30 minutes

Enjoy...