Chocolately Baking :-)

The week before last was 'Chocolate Week' & last week was 'National Baking Week', so in honour of this, I made an absolutely yummy Chocolate Marble Cake.

** To be honest, I'd finally treated myself to a cake stand (& a gorgeous pink girlie it is!) so I needed something to bake!**

I'm not sure where the recipe originated, I thought it might be the Rachel Allen recipe from the BBC web, but after just checking the site, it's not. The recipe I wrote down stated to cook the cake for 25-30 minutes, but when I checked the cake, the inside was completely uncooked. I let it bake for nearly an hour & it was perfect. I also treated myself to some Green & Blacks cocoa for this cake. I normally use whatever is in the cupboard, but the chocolate taste is normally very weak when done this way. Let me tell you that after using Green & Blacks, I will never go back to any old cocoa for baking. The chocolate taste (& colour) was absolutely lush & creamy.



Chocolate Marble Yumminess Cake (Original Recipe Author Unknown)

200g Butter
200g Caster Sugar
150g Self Raising Flour sifted
50g Plain Flour sifted
4 Eggs
3Tbsp Cocoa sifted (Preferably Green & Blacks!! it's definately worth it!!)

Preheat oven to 180.
Grease & line cake tin.
Cream together the butter & sugar.
Beat the eggs together, then add half the eggs to the butter, plus a spoonful of flour. Mix to combine, then add the rest of the eggs & combine.
Once all the eggs have been combined, add the flour & mix, but don't overmix, otherwise the cake's texture will be tough.
Seperate the cake mixture into two bowls. Add cocoa to one bowl & mix well.
Spoon large dollops of each mixture into the cake tin, until all the mixture is used, level the mixture, then using a knife, swirl the mixture to create the marble effect.
Bake the cake for 45-55 mins, until the cake is springy to touch, comes away from the sides of the tin & when a skewer is inserted, it somes out clean. Cool for 5 mintues, then turn out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

The original recipe called for the cake to be dusted with icing sugar, but I was needed more of a chocolate fix so I made a batch of chocolate butter frosting (using the Hummingbird Bakery recipe) & added chocolate star decorations for an added touch.

Enjoy!! xxx


xxx