Categories: cooking-and-recipes
Date: 03 May 2010 10:52:23
I know, I've been promising a cake recipe since halfway through Lent. I trust this one suits. I acquired it the summer I was in Montreal, hence the cup measurements.
Cake
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
3 oz good quality dark chocolate
½ cup butter
2 cups light brown muscovado sugar, packed down
3 large eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla essence
½ cup strong coffee
½ cup brandy or coffee liqueur
Filling
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
12 oz jar raspberry jam (if fresh raspberries are in season, you could use those instead)
Chocolate sour cream icing
1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips
¾ cups sour cream
Pinch of salt
Chocolate curls and fresh raspberries (if in season) to decorate
Cake
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line two 9” cake tins.
Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and let it cool slightly.
In a large bowl,. Beat the butter, sugar and eggs together on high speed until fluffy. Beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla. At low speed, beat in dry ingredients mixture in quarters, alternating with the sour cream in thirds (so ¼ cup flour mix, 1/3 cup sour cream, etc). Add the coffee and the liqueur, blending until smooth. Pour batter (which will be quite runny) into cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the surface springs back when pressed or a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool on wire racks.
Filling
Beat cream and icing sugar until stiff. Refrigerate. Slice cake layers horizontally to make four layers. Place one layer, cut side up, on a plate. Spread with ½ cup jam and ½ cup cream. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with the top layer of cake, cut side down.
Icing
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. Add sour cream and salt and beat until creamy and smooth. Pour over cake, then garnish with chocolate curls and fresh raspberries.