Saturday 1 May 2010

Celebration Chocolate Cake



I always had the passion to bake or cook something sweet, but the only thing that kept me away was, I was the only one with sweet tooth at home and my hubby either hates it or just eats in a very moderate amount leaving the whole chunk for me. But recently I discovered that my son loves cakes. I haven’t noticed his love for cakes until I baked one on his birthday. He kept asking for it and that was when I realised that Richu loves cakes. It was a chocolate Madeira sandwiched with another vanilla cake. It was good, but not that great though. So I baked another cake of chocolate flavour after that and it was taken from Divya’s breath taking blog which she took from Hersheys site. Her blog is full of baked goodies and this particular cake was showcased for few days which really caught my attention. I just thought I had to bake it and here you go. The cake was really moist and tasted yum. Well, it doesn’t look as neat and pretty as Divya’s. I am just a beginner in icing the cakes and I am not happy with the look of my icing here. Hopefully it will get better in time. I knew that cake was going to be a huge one, so I halved her recipe and baked it in a 6 inch pan which was perfect for our small family. Even then after icing was done, it was quite a big cake. You can view the original version of her recipe here.


My son had been pestering me from the moment he saw the cake batter being prepared and was really impatient to have them. So, as you see the cake was iced whilst warm and the icing in the centre got melted and got absorbed into the cake. So you cannot see the middle layer in the picture. That’s why it’s always advised to ice the cake when it’s completely cool:). The cake was an absolute beautiful one in all sense and tasted simply yum. And the icing is fantastic too. Very easy to put together and tasted great.  Even my hubby who hates chocolate cake told me that the cake was real good.


Celebration Chocolate Cake
Serves 7-8 people
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp Cocoa powder
½ cup boiling water
80g soft butter (not spread)*
1 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla essence
¾ cup All purpose flour (Maida)
¾ tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
2 Tbsp greek yogurt

Chocolate Butter Icing:
50g butter
1/3 cup (5 Tbsp) cocoa
1 ½ cup icing sugar
2 ½ - 3 Tbsp milk

Preparation:

1. Mix cocoa with boiling water and stir until smooth and free of lumps. Set aside to cool.

2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy for around 2 minutes.

3. Add eggs, one at a time mixing well after each addition .

4. Add in vanilla and stir well. Add cocoa mixture beating well.

5. Sift flour, baking soda and salt 2-3 times. Add alternately with milk and sour cream to butter mixture, beating until blended.
6. Grease and line a 6 inch pan and pour this mixture in the pan. Keep the cake tin in a pre-heated oven of 180 degrees and bake until well risen and the cake springs back up when lightly pressed. Or to to check the doneness, insert a skewer in the centre and the skewer should come out clean without any crumbs clinging to it. I was hoping my oven was a fan assisted one, so baked it @170 degrees Celsius for 1 hour and 10 minutes and it came out perfect even though it took long time. But you can bake it at 180 degrees and bake till done.

For the Chocolate butter Icing:

Melt Butter and stir in cocoa powder. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla essence and mix till smooth. Add in enough milk to loosen the icing just enough to a spreading consistency mixture. If the icing becomes loose, add in some icing sugar and if it goes too stiff to spread, add in some milk. Make sure you sift the icing sugar and cocoa to avoid any nasty lumps.

For assembling:

Let the cake cool completely before frosting. Cut the cake horizontally into two using a serrated knife. Spread little icing and sandwich the cakes. Spread rest of the icing outside using a palette knife (Which I don’t have, so I used a regular one). After icing the cake, dip the knife in hot water and smooth the icing using the warm knife. Or you can use warm knife through out icing to get an even smoother finish.

Notes: * While using butter make sure that you don't use spread here for cooking as most spreads are not suitable for baking.

57 comments:

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Beautiful Cake. So moist and perfect!

Suji said...

Hi Shabs...We cannot take eyes off of this beautiful cake..drooling here..so well baked and presented...

Please visit us when time permits @

www.cookingwithkairalisisters.com

Love
Kairali sisters

Anonymous said...

May I check with you on the ingredientss. It is suppose to be yogurt or sour cream? The preparation No 5 said sour cream but the ingredients said Greek yogurt.

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Mmmm loooks sooooooooooo moist and yummy.. u have done nice icing and nice finish too.. It doesn't look that ur beginner.. has come out very well.

Shabs.. said...

@Kairali sisters...thx so much for ur lovely comments.

@Anonymous, I have used greek yogurt in my recipe, but the original asks for sour cream...thx for pointing out, will update it.Could u pls mention ur name when u comment next?

Pavithra....thx dear, anyways, i diint like the look of it...its not neat...but it tasted scrumptious.

Unknown said...

Perfect and yummy cake, Shabs!! Brilliant pics too..

Nithya said...

Looks perfect and yummmmm.. damn tempting :)

Miriam Korula said...

hi shabs...the cake looks so moist n' soft....really would've loved to taste it...

Ms.Chitchat said...

Awesome super moist cake. Loved the color and the texture. Very good attempt,made me crave for some :)

Swathi said...

shabs,

Chocolate cake looks really moist. Nice frosting too.

Mrs.Ahmed said...

BEAUTIFULL..!!! I Love Chocolate cake..:)

Aruna Manikandan said...

Looks wonderful and very tempting dear!!!!
Nice clicks :-)

Sushma Mallya said...

Chocolate cake looks rich and yummy, nice recipe shabs and cake looks beautiful too...Nice try..

Indian Khana said...

Wow looks so gud...so tempting...can we have a slice too ? ;)

Cicily Antony said...

omg...this would melt in mouth...drooling here...

Zareena said...

Hi SHabs...Indeed a great treat for chocoholics....cake kandittu paranathupole athra prshanam onnum thonunilla kettoooo...luks yummmy....

Priya Suresh said...

Cake looks incredible; delicious, scrumptious and fantastic!!!

Nithu Bala said...

perfect yummy cake..

Hari Chandana P said...

looks awesome.. wonderful presentation..:)

Dori said...

Wow, the cake looks so dense and perfect! It's decorated so pretty, too :)

Nitha said...

Perfect one.... Very much tempting... Yummy.......

Divya Kudua said...

Shabs..finally the cake is here..:).I see no problem with the cake at all,in fact,the slice looks so rich and decadent that I am tempted to make it again.

Regarding the icing recipe,we should quarter the recipe I guess.I made the cake a while back[again] for someone and I still have half the icing left!!Thanks for putting up the halved measures;).

Khadija El Mary said...

Looks fantastic, the texture is PERFECT. I wish I could have a slice right now.
BRAVO

divya said...

What a professional looking cake. It looks super yummy!!!

Fathima said...

beautiful cake... moist, rich 'n dark... love it!

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Perfect moist cake......

Life is beautiful !!! said...

OMG!!! wonderful photos and you have made me long for some immediately...definitely I will pick a chocolate cake today from the shop but I know nothing can equal yours :)

M D said...

Your celebration cake is just brilliant! I loved ur frosting too. You surely don't look like a beginner at that! Nice pics too! I feel like taking a bite into it :)

Shah cooks said...

That cakes looks so moist, i could have all my myself.:)) have to try this out.

Bharathy said...

I have been drooling over this one Divya's place almost everyday for a month ;)...now I will be here for a month..:)...I mean it!!...Looks Sooper moist and yummmmmmy and perfect..!!!..
I think the getting 'hooked up' part is Mutual, dear..I am spell bound by your recipes and pics... !!!Love the way you have beautifully blurred the back grounds..I am still trying hard to achieve it!..
Thanks for all your encouraging words, dear and thanks a Bunch for following me..we should visit each others' places without fail..:)
Keep up your Great work!!

FoodLovers said...

beautiful cake and so moist ...

Namitha said...

Such a decadent cake..chocolate is a fav in my house too :-)

BTW, I wanted that pic(in our blog) to be a bit overexposed :D, crazy, huh? Must appreciate the fact that you notice all the details.Can't thank you enough for all the suggestions, keep them coming :-)

Unknown said...

That's a lovely cake Shabs! Now that you have a company for all sweet goodies, hope to see more beautiful cakes :) great going dear!

craftlicious said...

wow this sure is mouth watering
i love the way u display ur food too.

love everything here

Do visit me sometimes at http://craftliciouss.blogspot.com/

take care
Shahana

Rachana said...

Thats such a delicious Cake...Chocolate is my fav:)

Yasmeen said...

Looks perfectly chocolatey, Shabs :D

Nammaruchi.blogspt.com said...

WOW very moist and yummy cake!! love it...yum

Lidia said...

What a wonderfull choco cake!!!!!
I belive you, even who hates chocolate become in love with this!!

Shabs.. said...

thanks to all for taking time to stop by here and pass your comments..

Simplyfood said...

The chocolate cake looks wonderful and mouthwatering.Beautiful click too.
My 1st visit here following your blog.
Do drop by simply.food sometime.

Nasi said...

Fantabulous Cake!!!!!!! in all sense n I am sure it jus tasted awesome!!!!really wanted to try it today...but had few doubts...so had to postpond it:D but really cant wait!...shabs pls tell me about the icing sugar used in frosting...is it just the powdered sugar,done at home or do i hv to use the store bot one?...also pls tell me if i should beat the mixture for icing, if yes for how long??...and finally abt the caster sugar?(is it powdered sugar?)...i hv no idea abt it :(...one more thing, do we hv to beat the cake batter with the beater very well after adding each item?...do lemme know..

Shabs.. said...

Hi nasi, thx for the compliments:)
Regarding your doubts, icing ugar is store bought one dear, long back when i was new to baking i have tried icing by powdering regular sugar at home thinking, but it just dint work.Dono y. It is also called powdered sugar and confectioner's sugar.Icing sugar is reaaaaally fine sugar, looks finer than maida and thats what i used in the frosting. It is available in supermarket by the name 'icing sugar' mostly. After measuring icing sugar sift it to avoid lumps.

For your question2, you dont have to beat for the frosting, Just mix it with a metal spoon until you get a frosting that can be scooped in spoon and is able to spread on a cake, somewhat like a soft icecream. If it becomes too stiff to spread, add in few drops of milk, and if too thin, add more icing sugar. I got right consistency with the given amount.

Pinney castor sugar is simply fine sugar. I guess we get that in Gulf countries. But if they have bigger crystals like the one we get in india, it is better to powder them.

Then regarding beating the cake batter, i just beat it until it is mixed.beat butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes, After that beating is not really necessay. If you have a wire whisk, yiu can just mix well with that. But i used beatre and just beat for few seconds until everything got mixed. I hope u got what i mean.
Let me know how that turns out for you dear.

Shabs.. said...

Hi nasi, thx for the compliments:)
Regarding your doubts, icing ugar is store bought one dear, long back when i was new to baking i have tried icing by powdering regular sugar at home thinking, but it just dint work.Dono y. It is also called powdered sugar and confectioner's sugar.Icing sugar is reaaaaally fine sugar, looks finer than maida and thats what i used in the frosting. It is available in supermarket by the name 'icing sugar' mostly. After measuring icing sugar sift it to avoid lumps.

For your question2, you dont have to beat for the frosting, Just mix it with a metal spoon until you get a frosting that can be scooped in spoon and is able to spread on a cake, somewhat like a soft icecream. If it becomes too stiff to spread, add in few drops of milk, and if too thin, add more icing sugar. I got right consistency with the given amount.

Pinney castor sugar is simply fine sugar. I guess we get that in Gulf countries. But if they have bigger crystals like the one we get in india, it is better to powder them.

Then regarding beating the cake batter, i just beat it until it is mixed.beat butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes, After that beating is not really necessay. If you have a wire whisk, yiu can just mix well with that. But i used beatre and just beat for few seconds until everything got mixed. I hope u got what i mean.
Let me know how that turns out for you dear.

Shabs.. said...

Hi nasi, thx for the compliments:)
Regarding your doubts, icing ugar is store bought one dear, long back when i was new to baking i have tried icing by powdering regular sugar at home thinking, but it just dint work.Dono y. It is also called powdered sugar and confectioner's sugar.Icing sugar is reaaaaally fine sugar, looks finer than maida and thats what i used in the frosting. It is available in supermarket by the name 'icing sugar' mostly. After measuring icing sugar sift it to avoid lumps.

For your question2, you dont have to beat for the frosting, Just mix it with a metal spoon until you get a frosting that can be scooped in spoon and is able to spread on a cake, somewhat like a soft icecream. If it becomes too stiff to spread, add in few drops of milk, and if too thin, add more icing sugar. I got right consistency with the given amount.

Pinney castor sugar is simply fine sugar. I guess we get that in Gulf countries. But if they have bigger crystals like the one we get in india, it is better to powder them.

Then regarding beating the cake batter, i just beat it until it is mixed.beat butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes, After that beating is not really necessay. If you have a wire whisk, yiu can just mix well with that. But i used beatre and just beat for few seconds until everything got mixed. I hope u got what i mean.
Let me know how that turns out for you dear.

Nasi said...

Thanx da for the reply, will surely try n let u know... Cant wait to try it :D but now I hv to hunt for icing sugar so hv to wait again :( n forgot to mention I had tried ur orange cake 2 months back and it tasted soooo yummy n it came out perfect!! :)

Nilofer said...

Hey shabs, nilofer here...been a vistor to ur site since i came to Dubai.i jus got married 6 months b4 n my situation is lyk hw it ws fr u b4..dunno the ABCDs of cookin..but thn 1day i was jus googling around n found ur site...its awesome..Mashaallah!!..i love all ur recipes n im improving nw...i used to take 3 hrs jus for making the lunch..jus a dal curry, rice , thoran n fish fry.Lyk u i was born n brought up in bahrain...n thn shifted here...got a younger bro..hes in 11th nw...anyways, i jus wanted to thank u for all those wonderful recipes....thanks a loooooooooooooooot.....cant stop prasing !!...mashaallah !! mashaallah!!...btw i was wondering if u cud make a sadya... u knw those Onam dishes...aviyal, sambar, pulisherry, etc etc...can u ?....OH ! N BTW THE "CAKE" ITS AAAAWESOMEEEEEEEEEE !!!.... DEFINITLY GONNA TRY THIS TOO...THNXXXXXXXXX...MUAH!...:D...

Shabs.. said...

Hi Nilofer, You made my day!Thank you sooo much for your comments and compliments dear. I guess its the same story with many ladies that they start their cooking after their mariiage, start from absolute zero to a real good cook!If you love cooking and you have patience, then you can become a great cook after sometime... About sadya menus, i make on and off some dishes, but i make it without measurements....Next time i make, i will get them for you..But there are other amazing blogs around where u can find sadya menus. Try www.mariasmenu.com and www.kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com . Both are real good websites with good reviews. You can also go to www.kaipunyam.com and check out. SHe has a beatiful blog with many vegetables and Kerala Dishes.
Once again, thx for stopping by and visit again. Would love to see you around.
Love,
Shabs.

Ayesha Rubeena said...

as salamu alaikum. This Ayesha Rubeena (in short Ruby)again. I would really like to know what greek yoghurt is. can I use regular thick curd/yoghurt instead. I need the reply, as fast as possible. Waiting to make it and gift it to my nieces, who are all chocolate slaves.

Shabs.. said...

WaalaikumMussalam ruby,
You can use regular thick yogurt. BTW, thic cake is a real small one which is 6 inch. If you make it in a bigger pan, it might not come out good...ne careful there.. If you want it bigger, please visit the link @ hersheys site for a bigger one. They have a 9 inch cake....Let me know how it turns out for you.
Regards,
shaby.

Donna said...

hi there, i tried your beautiful cake recipe yesterday along with my two boys and we had a blast therafter devouring it. it jus melted in the mouth.. good for chocoholics like me .. a self confessed one !!
a few doubts .. the icing turned out tooo sweet, cud it b becos i used normal sugar which i powdered finely and then sieved it. i used your xact measurements or was it just supposed to be that sweet..

thanx once again for this mouthwatering cake.. my kids loved it..

Shabs.. said...

Hi donna,
Thanks for your feedback. I am glad u and your boys liked it...I know how fun it would be cooking with kids...:)...
BTW,Regarding icing, it will be sweet by itself. But it will compliment well with the cake which is not very sweet otherwise. I and my son could eat icing by itself even though it was sweet. May be it was overly sweet cos u used powdered sugar. Some sugars are sweeter than others, may be that's y.

Regards,
Shabs.

sanaa said...

hey there...awsome recipes there...your recipes has almost become my recipe bible by now!..lol..i have a chocoholic of a hubster...wanted to make him the best of cakes for his bday...n ur cake seems perfect...was jus wondering hoe soft butter is different from the spreadable one...i stay in india, so would i find soft butter in stores?..and what name does it come in?...thanks

Shabs.. said...

Sanaa, Thank u. Soft butter is the normal butter at room temperature. it will be as soft as ghee. It just need to be used in soft stage so as to get the best texture for the cake. I have never baked in India, But I think everyone uses Amul butter there. Don't even know what other brands they have there. Sorry dear. I am planning to make a double sized one of this cake for my son's birthday. Good luck to u.

Sandeep K C said...

Hi, is it baking soda or baking powder ?

Shabs said...

Hi sandeep, It is baking soda or Soda bi carbonate.

Sandeep K C said...

Ok Thanks. You have mentioned it as Baking Powder in the Preparation part. Anyways we made this with baking powder since we where halfway in the making of the cake, while i asked the doubt. The cake came out well and tasted heavenly.

shabs said...

Sorry about the typo and thanks for pointing it out. Will edit it soon. I am glad it came out great and you liked it.

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