Apr 07

Cookbook 178: Chocolate

So I bought this Chocolate by Olga Jones from the amazing Karen Wyld who had closed her bookshop and was selling all her remaining stock. It’s a very pretty book and on one of my favourite topics, so of course I bought it. The two recipes I made were perfect, and the double choc biscuits are incredibly simple and amazingly delicious. Can’t recommend this book highly enough, I’m looking forward to trying more recipes when the weather is more suitable for baking. 5 out of 5 stars.

Simple chocolate cake (serves 8)

Ingredients:

  • 125g butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup milk

Chocolate butter frosting

  • 125g dark chocolate
  • 60g butter
  • 1/4 cup double cream

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180C. Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs.
  2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together into a bowl. Fold flour mixture and milk alternatively into egg mixture.
  3. Pour mixture into a buttered and lined 18cm square cake tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Stand in tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
  4. To make the frosting, place chocolate, butter and cream over a saucepan of simmering water and heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth. Remove bowl from pan and set aside to cool slightly. Spread top and sides of cake with frosting. Serve.

Notes on this recipe:

  • This is a really nice, moist, and simple chocolate cake. Do recommend making it
  • Also, don’t be like me and not sift your icing sugar properly.

Double chocolate chip cookies (makes 30)

Ingredients:

  • 125g butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (you can use milk if you prefer)

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 160C
  2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy
  3. Mix in vanilla essence and egg
  4. Stir in flour and cocoa
  5. Add chocolate chips
  6. Place teaspoons of mixture on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes.

Notes on this recipe:

  • This recipe is so very simple. I was somewhat convinced it was too simple and would be a disaster, but it turned out amazingly. I’ve already made it again