There are three days between my sister-in-law's birthday and mine. In addition to several other celebrations, we had a small get together over tea and cake to mark the date.
I made a Chocolate Mud Cake with a pink butter cream icing. This cake is one that I often make with the children at work and is dairy free (excluding the icing!) and also relatively cheap to make.
I have a wee fascination over different 'icings' at the moment and have looked far and wide for a good butter cream icing - I am sad to say that I have failed to find one that has set me to contentment. All the ones I have tried seem to be way to thick, or make way to much. Although it took some serious trial and error, I have concluded that all recipes for butter cream icing fail to include the fact that much milk or cream is needed! I was pretty happy when I discovered a perfect creamy buttercream by adding way more milk than was suggested in the recipes. Something for you all to note: Add more milk/cream and don't be afraid!
Anyway, enough about icing and more about cake. I like cakes that are richly moist and velvety and that melts in your mouth. If you have similar tastes buds then this is cake you should make.
Chocolate Mud Cake
(I doubled this recipe and divided the mixture into two tins to create two layers. Do whatever takes your fancy)
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 rice bran oil (or any vegetable oil)
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup chopped chocolate melts (optional)
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease and line a cake tin.
Measure and combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Make a well in the dry mix and slowly fold in the wet mix, being careful to rid the mixture of any flour balls (eww). Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 30 minutes or until cake skewer comes out clean when inserted.
Ice with the icing of your contentment. For a buttercream icing see recipe below:
230 grams (2 cups) Icing sugar (confectioners sugar, powdered sugar)
120 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
milk or cream
Pink food colouring
Cream butter until creamy and pale. Add vanilla and then gradually add the sugar, mixing to combine. Add as much milk until you get the consistency you want. I think I used about 1/3 cup but will depend on the temperature in your kitchen.
You want the icing to be light and fluffy. I find using a mixer for this job pretty useful, but a good strong hand should do the trick also.
Don't forget to add the food colouring - Not to much if you want a pale pink colour. It only takes a smigin to do the trick.
Use this icing to decorate the cake to your sweet heart's desire.
