Crochet and chocolate cardamon cake

20th January 

Chocolate cake, easy to make and taasty

Two days before the second crochet course, I was privileged to be invited over to another bloggers house for tea and cake.  The very talented knitter guru, crochet goddess and writer extraordinaire, that is: http://thetwistedyarn.com/  Truly if you have not visited her blog, you are in for a treat.  Her words never fail to make me smile and the creations she produces are wonderful.  I am very pleased to be able to call her my new friend.  Through the internet we became acquainted and messaged each other every once in a while, then more frequently and then suddenly a meet up was suggested.  We try to see each other now,  as often as we can,  busy lives permitting. 



It was at the 'Twisted' house that I was given the most delicious chocolate cake.  I am addicted to chocolate, have been all my life, but am trying very hard over the last 6 months to limit what I eat and I am managing better than I thought I would.  However, I could not resist the cake...  Funnily enough, I bake a fair amount, love chocolate as I've said, but am totally useless at making chocolate cakes.  Twisted promised me this was a fool proof recipe and anyone could make it, yeah, right I thought...  but she's right.  I managed it!  I am totally stoked by this and so giddy with happiness, that I asked her permission to share her cake with my crochet ladies in week 2 and now I share it here with you, Twisted's permission given of course.  Go on over and see how amazing she is...

This chocolate cake rises well

Twisted Chocolate Cake 

You will need:

♥  200g good quality dark chocolate
♥  200g unsalted butter
♥  75ml milk
♥  dash of white wine vinegar or lemon juice
♥  85g plain flour
85g self raising flour
third tsp bicarbonate of soda
30g cocoa powder
200g light muscovado sugar or light soft brown sugar
180g caster sugar
dash of vanilla essence or almond essence
3 eggs, beaten
optional extra:
♥  3 tsp ground cardamom

1  Pre heat oven to 140 for a fan oven, 150 degrees for non fan oven.  
2  In a pan, gently melt the butter and chocolate with 125 ml water.
3  Meanwhile, add the vinegar or lemon juice to the milk and leave for 5 minutes to make butter milk.
4  Mix the flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars, cocoa powder (ground cardamom, if using) and vanilla or almond essence
5  Add the eggs and butter milk and mix well.
6  Add the molten chocolatley mixture from the saucepan and mix well.
7  Poor into a deep 8 inch tin.
8  Bake in the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes. do not check it before this, it may even take longer to bake.  Keep checking with a thin skewer, if it comes out clean, the cake is baked.

I added my own Scandinavian twist to this cake, that of adding the ground cardamom, it was not in Twisted's original cake, which I feel was brave of me, but it worked and added a slight warmth to the cake.  This is totally not necessary as the cake itself is fantastic. 

This is not an every day cake as you can see from the ingredients, but oh my, it is so yummy.  Next special occasion or when you want to spoil someone, this is your cake!
 

Chocolate and cardamom cake and crochet

♥  Enjoy this chocolatley cake. 

Have you any chocolate recipes that I can try?  ♥