Winging it Chocolate Cake

It was my friend Louise’s birthday at the weekend and I wanted to make her a cake. “Oh please don’t” said Ged “Just buy one. It’s not fair to make her eat one of your cakes on her birthday.” I needed to make her a cake because I knew that even if it was horrid she would be touched that I’d made the effort.

I can’t make cakes. See Easter Bunny Hits The Bin And while you’re reading that post take note of the last picture of the massive snow drift from last year. That was Easter so don’t be complacent just yet, the snow could still get us.

Anyway, more often than not, when I follow a cake recipe it goes wrong. I don’t like recipes with exact measurements so cakes tend to baffle me. I decided on this occasion to make it up as I went along.

We were a bit short on butter so I thought I’d make an eggy, oily emulsion.

One beautifully lined cake tin. No problem there.

3 eggs (separated), 4oz/120g caster sugar, 4fl oz/120ml sunflower oil, 1tsp vanilla essence, 2oz/60g self raising flour, 2oz/60g cocoa powder, sifted.

Beat egg yolks to ribbon stage then slowly pour in the oil while beating.

Pour in sugar while beater is on full power.

Add the sifted flour and cocoa and pulse to mix. Try to get it in the bowl (I missed). You will have a thick chocolate mixture.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff then fold into the chocolate mixture. Add the vanilla.

Scrape into the prepared tin with a spatula and bake at Gas Mark 6/400F/200C for 20 minutes.

When it’s just set, remove from oven and leave to cool.

I took this opportunity to melt the left over chocolate Father Christmas. Heat a little double cream and mix with the broken Santa until smooth.

Slice the cake in half and sandwich with the chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

Slap some more chocolate sauce on top and gobble it up because it’s delicious.

So, I wonder if I carefully follow this recipe next time, will it be a disaster? Who knows? That’s the secret science of cake making. Magic and alchemy. Or smoke and mirrors.

Before I go I have to tell you what Joe said about my last dinner. We ate recently at The Mucky Duck/White Swan where Tom Parker (trained with Lisa Allen who appeared with my mad friend Johnnie Mountain on the GBM) is now chef. Joe ate all my venison and then his own. So this week I cooked venison for him and no, he didn’t refuse to eat it, he said “Mum, I don’t know how you made this sauce but you should keep it a secret because it’s too good.” I was overwhelmed. Can’t tell you what I did but here’s a pic of Joe’s dinner.