Trans-Continental Baking Experiment – A Chocolate Mud Cake

A couple of days before what started as a small mail thread from GM just to ask about the recipe that works for a Mud Cake turned out to be one of the bakings that I have enjoyed the most in the recent past. The sunshine girl A replied with a recipe that unfortunately didnt come out well for GM in the first time 😦 and then she tried her hand at it and come out with the yummiest looking cake which I wanted to grab and bite and I think all of us felt the same way.And hence started a series of mud cake baking…. smitha, trish and yours truly all of us baked the same cake

After seeing A’s result I was waiting for the saturday to come so that I can try this one out though I had loads of cooking to be done that day but I still couldn’t give this one a miss 🙂 so a dead tired but very excited me started mixing the batter at about 3:30 and a very happy me kept the cake in the oven by about 4pm and damn the worst happened ofcourse u know about it I have ranted already 😉 the current went off exactly after 7 mins of baking ;'( ;'( and a very tensed me started pacing up down the house waiting for the current to come back half sure in my mind that the cake will have to thrown in the dustbin 😦 anyhow the current came back after an hour or so and I put the cake in the oven reluctantly thinking if nothing I will make cake rusk out of it (ok so here is my secret tip… if I spoil a cake I don’t throw it I am mean that way, I bake it anyhow, cut it when it cools in small rusk size slices and then bake it again… turns out yummy cake rusks 🙂 a tip most of us can use sometime in life 😉 ) but surprise surprise the cake came out awesome 😀 😀 😀

The crumb almost perfect, moist little spongy and yummy as it is supposed to be 🙂 I was flying in air :)I didnt frost the cake though as in our household the cakes without icing and frosting are more popular and saves some calories too 😉

I made a couple of changes in the recipe though, first I made half the recipe… two I replaced half the maida with normal whole wheat atta and added an another egg to the mixture.

All in all I enjoyed this too much…. Loads and loads of mails exchanged, tips shared both of baking and weight loss (if u have a couple of women talking this cant be skipped right 😉 ), more recipes exchanged… what fun I had in that week.

So girls what are baking next?

For those who want here is the recipe copied as it as from the site my comments in blue

1. 350 grams dark chocolate pieces
2. 225 grams butter
3. 600 ml water
4. 3 eggs (I suggest use 4)
5. 400 grams castor sugar
6. 400 grams self raising flour (I used half maida, half atta and 1.5 tsp of baking powder)
7. Grease and line a 23cm/9″ round cake tin. Preheat oven to 170C/325F.
8. In a saucepan over low heat, heat chocolate, butter and water. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
9. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Gradually beat cooled chocolate mixture into eggs.
10. Whisk sugar and flour into chocolate mixture, continue beating until smooth and well blended.
11. Pour mixture into cake tin. Bake for 45 minutes or until skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.
12. Turn cake onto wire rack to cool.

*Please note: This mixture is quite runny, use a solid cake tin not a springform tin.

*Tip: Line tin with baking paper, this will make the cake easier to remove from the tin, no sticking to the sides. ( I didnt do it, I somehow never do it though I agree its a best thing to do)

No comments below because I never made this… may be A, trish and GM can add points here

Truffle Mixture

• 120 grams dark chocolate pieces
• 100 grams butter
• 300 grams sifted icing sugar
• 4 tbsp double or whipping cream

1. In a bowl over a pan of simmering water melt chocolate, stirring frequently.
2. Cool slightly, then stir icing sugar, butter and cream until well blended.

Chocolate Glaze

• 225 grams dark chocolate pieces
• 165 ml double or whipping cream

1. In a saucepan over low heat, heat chocolate and cream, stirring frequently until melted and smooth. Keep warm.

Assembling The Cake

1. Cut cooled mud cake into layers.
2. Spread truffle mixture between layers with a palette knife. Reserve some mixture to finish round the edges of the cake.
3. Position cake on wire cake rack and pour warm glaze over the top.With a palette knife to spread glaze to cover top and side evenly.
4. Put remaining truffle mixture into a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe a decorative border around the edge of the cake.

Please hop over to the rest of the gorgeous women, A, GM, Trish and Smitha to see their versions of the Trans-Continental Baking Experiment – A Chocolate Mud Cake