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It's addictive and fattening; yet no one thinks twice before popping a piece of chocolate cake into their mouth. This is a favourite of people of all ages, sex and tastes. A warm, moist and soft chocolate cake dessert is just what it's takes to make a person's lunch or dinner complete. In spite of all these rich claims, this is quite a humble dish that doesn't cost much and is easy to make with ingredients available at home.
The chocolate cake has many versions starting from the German cake to the Black forest cake; the creation of each of these versions is a milestone in the history of cake making. Though we speak of the chocolate cake as a dish, each person will have his or her own favourite version of this dessert. This will be cherished and the recipe will be treasured.
All kinds of celebrations call for a cake. A lot of care is involved in selecting the right cake for each occasion. Cakes have been a part of our culture since time immemorial. Did you know that chocolates were not that popular as a snack till the chocolate cake made its entry?
What could be more fulfilling to a cook than the aroma of a cake in the oven? Baking a cake is a great way to relax frayed nerves. You could be innovative with its icing and decoration and flavour it with anything that catches your fancy. Here's a recipe for chocolate cake that's sure to bring back memories of your grandma's cooking-
Keep these ingredients ready -
* All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
* Powdered sugar - 1 cup
* Baking powder - 1 tsp
* Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
* Eggs - 2 large
* Cocoa - 1/3 cup
* Softened butter - 1 1/2 sticks
* Vanilla essence - 2 tsp
* Sour cream - 2/3 cup
Cake Recipe -
Bring all ingredients to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350o F.
Blend together the flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, eggs, butter, cocoa, vanilla and sour cream in a food processor till you get a creamy batter. Take two tins with diameter of 8 inches each and spread the cake mixture on them. Keep the tins in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes; keep checking with a tester to see if the cake's done. Once it's done, take the tins off and let them cool for about ten minutes before you remove the cake.
One small piece of advice - swap the tins halfway through the baking process to make sure they're baked evenly.
Now, let's get to the fun part - the frosting.
You'll need -
* Broken chocolate - 6 lb
* Butter - 3/4 stick
* Icing sugar - 2 1/2 cups
* Corn syrup - 1/2 cup
* Sour cream - 1/2 cup
* Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Combine the chocolate and butter and melt them in a microwave or over a pan. Once done, let this cool down. Keep the heat low while melting. Pass the icing sugar through a blender to make it smooth. Mix the corn syrup with the chocolate mixture, add sour cream and whisk vanilla till you get an even blend. Add the powdered icing sugar and mix it thoroughly.
Add water or icing sugar to achieve a texture that's neither too thick nor thin. Arrange the cake for icing. Spread out a third of the frosting starting from the centre to the corners till you've covered the cake half. Place the other cake over this. Repeat the frosting for this cake and spread the icing over the sides too. Let the icing settle. Decorate with cake decorations of your choice. Now have your cake and eat it too!
