Rich Chocolate Cake

Dinner last night was a bbq'ed piri-piri chicken and a huge sallad. J and R was out at the barbie and the girls made the sallad. Was Yummy!!

Dessert; Rich Chocolate cake and my favorite icecream: Connoisseur Ice Cream Vanilla flavor

The cake was a success and it was even more of a success seeing that in the middle of cooking the oven stopped working and I had to get J to investigate. All was back to normal fairly quickly but you know how delicate a cake in the oven is so I was worried it would be under or overcooked. Was neither and worth trying - it is easy to make and usually a success...

250 gr of good quality proper butter (do not use bread spread or magarine!)
200 gr good quality cooking chocolate (dark)
1 1/2 cups of strong coffee (make new proper coffee, do not use dry coffee it does not taste good)
2 cups of caster sugar
1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 organic eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract (preferably Organic)
Another 250 gr (or more) of good quality cooking chocolate (dark) for later (to have on top)

What to do:
Preparation: take out all ingredients, measurements, and a food processor with blade, big bowl and frying pan in teflon, spatula etc.

Grease and line a springform tin. Put oven on 180 C.

When you start cooking the mixture has to be put together fairly quickly so set yourself up properly before hand.

Take out a teflon frying pan (very clean so cake does not taste of snags or something) melt in the block of 200gr chocolate, 250 gr of butter and when slightly melted put in the strong coffee. Do not cook just use low heat. add sugar and dissolve.

Whilst the above is melting you quickly mix flour, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl. keep an eye on the mixture on the stove , can not burn the butter, shall be nicely melted not dark brown!

When all is a nice gooey mix pour all into a food processor. (again make sure that it is really clean so ckae doesn't taste of onions or something).

Add some of the flour mixtire into the food processor and mix, keep mixing and adding and should take only about 2 min in total.

Add 2 eggs quickly, mix immediately (as the mixture is warm you don't want to waste any time as eggs might cook (ie scrambled eggs) which we don't want in the cake).

Add vanilla essence whilst mixture is moving. Stop food processor when all is mixed take off processor and por mix into the already greased tin.

Bake in over for 45 min to an hour. This all depends on your stove. I have baked this in 3 different houses and has varied between 30 min to over an hour. Keep checking!!

The cake should not be dry as a sponge cake but not wet either (not gooey) so you have to try and prick it regularly. If the cake is burning in the ends, put alfoil over, there can be no burning on edges, will taste horrible.

When cake is ready, take out and let cook (release edges immediately).

When cooled down a bit move to a pretty cake plate.

In a bowl put 250 gr of good cooking chocolate in pieces. Boil water but do not let the water touch the bowl, and let the chocolate melt. Don't stir too heavily as you want the cocolate to go very smooth and glossy. When melted pour over chocolate cake and quickly smear over top and sides so that it is smooth and glossy all over.

Serve with good quality vanilla Icecream. Do not waste time on cheap icecream - life is too short people - my motto is eat less but when you do eat the good stuff! - so get the good stuff and enjoy it!!! Quality before quantity...!

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