Recently my boyfriend’s mum gave me a couple of new “Women’s Weekly” cook books – “Cake Baking” and “Chocolate”. Surprisingly, you may think, I didn’t already have these, or any of the recipes within them. I love new cook books. I spend many many hours filing through them trying to decide what to make first, and how I’m going to get people to eat them!
There was something that I’d been wanting to try for a while – a marble cake. I’d seen these made in a variety of ways, and this one looked a little different. This one, you dropped big dobs of each type of cake mixture into the pan, so it ended up marbled. Another technique that I had seen was to pour each type of cake mixture in and carefully mix or swirl them together. The big dobs worked quite well at keeping the different flavours separate.
So the stars aligned when I had chosen a cake to make, and also had somewhere to take it! One of the people I work with had decided to take 7 months long service leave, with an option to come back to work or not. My group of colleagues and I decided to capitalize on the last time he might be around for dinner in our regional office. And what better way to say “good luck” for 7 months off, or for retirement, and also “thanks very much for your mentoring”, than with a huge mocha mud cake.
It was a lovely night, made special by a thoughtful baking moment, inspired by a couple of new cook books!
This one would be also great to make for Christmas, or any special occasion. The white icing makes it look quite festive, and if decorated on top with some red and green icing, or similar, could be quite spectacular.
Note: I used a 8 inch cake pan (20cm), and just made it higher. It took about 2 hours and 15 minutes to cook at 140degC fan forced (160degC not fan forced).
- 100g dark cooking chocolate
- 125g butter
- 1 cup caster sugar
- ⅔ cup water
- ¾ cup plain flour
- 2 tablespoons self-raising flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, extra - for dusting.
- White chocolate coffee cake:
- 180g white eating chocolate
- 185g butter
- 1 cup caster sugar
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 cup plain flour
- ⅓ cup self raising flour
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 tablespoons instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- White chocolate frosting:
- 270g white eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
- ¾ cup thickened cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 160degC. Grease 25cm round cake pan with butter, line base and side with baking paper, extending paper 5cm above edge.
- Break chocolate into medium saucepan, add chopped butter, sugar, and the water, and stir over a low heat until smooth.
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl, cool for 10 minutes, then whisk in sifted flours and cocoa, then egg.
- For the white chocolate coffee cake, break chocolate into a medium saucepan, add chopped butter, sugar and milk, and stir over low heat until smooth.
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl, cool for 10 minutes, then whisk in sifted flours and eggs.
- Place half the mixture into a medium bowl, stir in coffee dissolved in boiling water.
- Stir in vanilla extract into plain half of mixture.
- Drop large spoonfuls of each type of mixture into the pan, alternating, until all the mixture is used.
- Bake cake approximately 1 hour 40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean, cool in pan.
- Meanwhile, make frosting by breaking chocolate into a bowl over a small saucepan with simmering water, adding the cream and extract and stirring over a low heat until smooth.
- Transfer bowl to the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Finally, beat frosting with an electric mixer for about 1 minute until fluffy. Don't overbeat, or the frosting will be grainy.
- Place cake on a serving plate, spread frosting over cake, dust with cocoa or decorate however you like!