Remember that leek, potato and haddock chowder I made the other day? I made it again for supper tonight but this time substituted half the haddock for four large carrots & an extra potato and added a large handful of frozen peas (at the same time as the sweetcorn). Result: much more colourful and absolutely delicious. Sorry for the lack of modesty but it’s such a simple meal to cook and (best of all) you can wash up as you go along, leaving just the pan, dishes and cutlery to take care of at the end of the meal.
Now that cake. I have to confess that I don’t particularly like chocolate cake. If I’m going to have baddies I’d rather they contain sultanas (welshcakes, scones, etc.) but my beloved one is quite a chocoholic so when I saw this recipe being prepared on UK Style the other night I knew I had to try it. The ingredients are a little unusual – black treacle, vegetable oil, no butter! but it’s so easy to make, even I had no hesitation at trying it. I’m going to copy the recipe here because although it’s unlikely to disappear from the BBC website, knowing my luck…
Chocolate Treacle Sandwich – Gary Rhodes
Ingredients
Sponges:
170g/6oz plain flour
50g/2oz cocoa powder
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1 heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp black treacle
2 eggs
75g/3oz caster sugar
150ml/¼ pint milk
150ml/¼ pint vegetable oil
Chocolate filling:
170g/6oz plain or milk chocolate, chopped
80ml/3fl oz double cream
25g/1oz butter
Cream filling:
150ml/¼ pint double cream, lightly whipped
Method
1. For this recipe you will need two 20cm/8in sandwich cake tins, the bases lined with greaseproof paper and then buttered and floured.
2. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add all the other sponge ingredients and whisk to a smooth consistency. Divide the mix between the two tins and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
4. Once cooked, and just becoming firm, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before turning out and cooling wire racks.
5. Make the filling: melt the chopped chocolate with the double cream in a bowl over a pan of warm water. Once melted, add the butter and remove from the heat.
6. As this mixture cools it will also thicken. It can now be spread onto the base sponge, before being topped with the lightly whipped cream and then the remaining sponge. The chocolate treacle sponge is ready to serve.
Talking of cakes, has anyone made a German Friendship Cake?