UGH! The Homemade Cake Conundrum

Has there ever been a situation in your life that lends itself to the old phrase "If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake" A HOMEMADE cake no less ... usually less.. usually most will try a cake mix before homemade as the picture on the box promises a gorgeous outcome every time! Well do not believe everything you see on a cake box!
Let's start with the simplest thing to a homemade cake, the PAN! Yes that is it, if you do not use the right size or type of pan it is game set match before you even open the box! So why the box of mix, what does it have that you cannot have in your baking pantry, simply put NOTHING! Okay so here it is the most simple homemade chocolate cake you are ever going to bake and I am not going to even give you a picture HA!

Chocolate Fudge Cake

This is a great recipe to start with-it doesn’t even need cooking!

* 225g chocolate (plain or milk)
* 25g caster sugar
* 100g butter (unsalted)
* 225g crushed digestive biscuits for richer cake use a shortbread cookie (the nilla wafers are too too sweet! The chocolate wafers are okay if you love chocolate)
* 1 egg
* 1 orange (a plump juicy fella)
* Brandy! This is optional, but if you are going to use it, you’ll need about 4 tablespoons. (or 6)

First job is to prepare the cake tin. Use a 20cm loose-bottomed round tin for this cake. (avoid all the fancy molded tins they won't work, and no this is not an angel food or a bundt cake so do not go there either) To prevent the cake getting stuck to the tin, first grease the tin (butter wrapper is good for this) then line it with greaseproof paper by cutting a strip as long as the tin is round (circumference) and 5cm wider than the depth of the tin. Along one of the long edges, make a fold 2.5 cm deep and cut this at intervals of 1.25cm up to the fold. This strip can then be curved round the sides of the tin. Put the cut side downwards to lie flat against the base.

The base of the tin should be covered with a circle of greaseproof paper, slightly smaller than the actual base, to fit in over the cut paper. This can then be greased with a pastry brush dipped in melted fat.

Squeeze the juice from the orange and finely grate the skin (zest). Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heavy-based pan. In a bowl that fits over a pan of warm water (but away from the heat) beat the sugar, egg and orange skin together with a whisk. The mixture will soon hang from the whisk in thick ribbons. This part can be done by machine.

Pour the chocolate and butter mix into the egg, sugar and orange skin mix, stirring well. Add the orange juice, brandy and crushed digestive biscuits. Stir well. The mixture can now be poured into the cake tin and left overnight in the fridge to set. That’s it!
The pan shown in the above photo is on its way to my Shoppe and when available I shall announce! You can pre order by contacting me through the shoppe. It has been by far the favourite pan of many of my ancestors!