My daughters had their residence’s ladies tea, last Sunday. As always most of the mothers were expected to bake something to bring along.
I usually bake cupcakes, but I recently acquired a new Whirlpool grill and convection microwave, and I cannot stop experimenting. I wanted to test all the options of my new microwave / convection oven so I made something different this year.
I decided on a chocolate cake, using my flop proof recipe. This chocolate cake recipe appeared years ago in a Hulletts recipe book. I have been making this cake since the middle 80’s and Hubs made it numerous times for my birthday! It is not a very sweet cake or moist cake. I always smile when I read the recipe, because we did not have a kitchen scale in the 80’s. Hubs wrote all the ingredient requirements in millilitres on the recipe.
I have been craving fudge for some time, so I made fudge and turned part of it into a topping for the chocolate cake. You must bake the cake and make the fudge topping the day before serving. I made the fudge topping the morning before the event and unfortunately there was not enough time to cool down and let the topping set properly but nonetheless everyone said the cake was amazing. This fudge is made in the microwave and the recipe featured in the book, “Mikrogolf wenners”.
- Chocolate Cake Ingredients:
- 120g butter
- 120g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 240g cake flour
- 20ml cocoa powder
- 5ml baking powder
- 1ml salt
- 180ml milk
- 5ml bicarbonate of soda
- 25ml golden syrup
- Fudge Ingredients:
- 125g butter
- 500m caster sugar
- 1 tin (397g) condensed milk
- 25ml vanilla essence
- 15ml vinegar
- 1ml salt
- 100ml cream
- Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
- Butter a ring cake pan (I used a heart shaped silicone pan).
- Cream the butter and caster sugar together.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat thoroughly after each addiction.
- Sieve the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together.
- Mix the bicarbonate of soda into the milk.
- Mix the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk mixture and syrup into the butter mixture and beat together.
- Spoon into the prepared cake pan and bake approximately 30 minutes or until the cake is baked through.
- Cool down slightly and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.
- Butter a square pan of 20 x 20cm.
- Microwave the butter in a large deep 3.5l microwave dish for one minute on full power.
- Add the caster sugar and condensed milk and microwave for another minute on full power. (Do not mix beforehand)
- Beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
- Microwave on 100% power for ten minutes, beating the mixture every 3 minutes. (Do not cover.)
- Remove from the microwave and add the vanilla, vinegar and salt. Beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
- Pour 250ml of the fudge into a separate bowl.
- Pour the rest into the prepared dish.
- Mix the cream into the 250ml reserved fudge and mix thoroughly and cool down.
- Cut the fudge into slices when slightly cooled and cool down completely.
- Once the fudge-cream mixture reached a thick consistency pour over the chocolate cake.
I was interested to study the fudge recipe. It seems similar to what my late father used to turn out, except he used ordinary sugar, no salt or vinegar, and added a tablespoon of golden syrup. And, of course, microwaves hadn’t been invented yet! The difference between fudge and toffee was how long it was cooked – he had it to a fine art.
I totally forgot about homemade toffee!! Thanks for reminding me – I will have to make it again!
Oooh good grief that looks great! I am so impressed with hubby making you this for your birthdayS …. not once but MANY time!!! Well done! Have a great day xxx jan
He can bake anything – just give him a recipe!