The cake you want to eat when you've been chucked

Any Nigella fan will know exactly which cake I am talking about just by the title of this post. If you're not so clued up on Nigella this is the chocolate fudge cake from Nigella Bites, this is what Nigella says about it 'This is the sort of cake you'd want to eat the whole of when you'd been chucked. But even the sight of it, proud and tall and thickly iced on it's stand, comforts.' Nigella has never said a truer word.
We had a family birthday this week and a when a chocolate fudge cake (with extra chocolate flakes) was requested I couldn't wait to make this cake.
Why have I waited so long to make it.

Chocolate fudge cake
for the cake:
400g plain flour
250g golden caster sugar
100g light muscovado sugar
50g best quality cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
142ml sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
125ml corn oil
300ml chilled water

for the fudge icing:
175g dark chocolate
250g unsalted butter, softened
275g icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180c/ gas mark 4.
Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl or wide necked measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Using a freestanding mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended, then beat in the water.
Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins.
Bake the cakes for 50 - 55 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave- 2-3 minutes on medium should do it - and let cool slightly.
In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.
Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.
Serves 10. Or 1 with a broken heart.




This cake is to die for, it is so delicious. The sour cream in the cake really cuts through the sweetness, it is light and fluffy, so moreish.
I covered mine in, as requested, chocolate flakes, they made a tasty addition and covered my not-so-perfect cake decorating skills. Although I must say that the icing was a dream to work with and I had more than plenty left for a bowl licking treat afterwards.
Everyone who had a slice of this cake raved about it, it is a must bake, even if you don't have a broken heart. Well, why would you want to wait around for that to happen.

Chelsea buns

Chelsea buns, Bath buns, Paris buns, well, any buns to be honest are popular in my house but Chelsea buns always go down a storm. A favourite of my loved ones I make these for them as a special treat when I want a extra way to show I love them.

This is a simple yeasted recipe can be done in a couple of hours, Although I usually make the dough the night before and let them have a slow rise over night.

This recipe comes from, again, The big book of bread, as mentioned in the garlic focaccia post.

Chelsea buns

225g strong white bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

55g butter, diced

1 1/2 tsp easy blend instant yeast

25g caster sugar

1 large egg, beaten

100ml warm milk

85g mixed raisins and currants

55g sultanas

55g light soft brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp honey to glaze

Grease a 8inch square tin and set aside. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl, then lightly rub in 25g butter. Stir in yeast and caster sugar. Make a well in the centre, then add the egg and enough milk, mixing to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a round, then place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place till doubled in size.

Knock back the dough on a lightly floured surface, then roll out to form a 30 x 23 cm rectangle. Melt the remaining butter and brush it over the dough.

Combine the fruit, brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough.

Starting with the long side, roll up the dough, fairly tightly like a Swiss roll. Cut into 12 even slices, then place the rolls, cut side up, in the tin. Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 190c/ gas mark 5. Bake the buns for about 25-30minutes, or until risen and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and brush twice with honey while still hot. Cool slightly in the tin then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

These delicious buns don't last long, not that they don't keep well, I mean they don't hang around long, they quickly disappear.

I often substitute the honey glaze for a sticky sugar glaze and I always garnish them with a handful of preserving sugar, the coarse granules give a 'coffee shop' look.

Masala omelette

I can hardly call this a recipe, I cook it so often for myself that it is a way of life. Probably one of my favourite recipes from Nigella. So simple yet so satisfying.

It comes from the 'All -day breakfast' section of Nigella Bites, and while I started off cooking this as a breakfast dish, I now cook this whenever I get a chance.

Yes, chilli for breakfast may seem odd to some people, I love it, I am a chilli freak though.

The original recipe ,below, is really just a blueprint, as Nigella says this recipe lends itself to many different combination.

Masala omelette

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 spring onion, sliced finely

1-2 chillies to taste, red or green

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

2 eggs, beaten

freshly chopped coriander for sprinkling over

chapattis to eat with, if you feel like it.

Preheat the grill.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan 20-27cm in diameter, and fry the spring onion, chilli, garlic and turmeric until soft. Add the other spices and fry for another minute, stirring occasionally, then add the beaten eggs, swirling the pan to help the eggs set underneath.

When the omelette is nearly set, flash it under the hot grill to finish it off, and serve with chapattis.

Serves 1.

So adaptable, Nigella suggests adding mint or grated ginger, I usually up the garlic and chilli's and leave out the chapatti, sometimes I abandon the grill as I like this quite underdone, nothing worse than a over cooked omelette.

Garlic Focaccia

I love Italian bread and as tonight is pasta night what better than a focaccia. The original recipe I used comes from 'The big book of bread' by Anne Sheasby. This book is a bread bible, every bread you can think of is in this book and it is a real inspiration to me. I did fiddle with the recipe, although the dough is the original recipe from the book I made this into a garlic focaccia. Sauteed garlic was wrapped inside the bread dough then I studded the bread with garlic cloves and rosemary, fresh from the garden.
Focaccia:
(based on half quantity)
225g plain white bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 teaspoon easy blend yeast
1 1/5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
110ml warm water
I added to this:
8 cloves garlic, chopped
12 cloves garlic unpeeled.
3 tbsp olive oil
Few sprigs of rosemary

Preheat oven to 200c.
Grease a baking tray and set aside.
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, stir in the yeast.
Make a well in the centre, then add the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead till soft and elastic. Shape the dough into a round, then place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave until doubled in size.
Meanwhile:
Gently saute the garlic in a 1 tbsp of olive oil, when golden brown, remove from the pan and pour over the remaining oil. Set aside.
Gently simmer the unpeeled cloves of garlic for 10 minutes in a pan of water. When soft drain and set aside.
Knock back the dough and roll out to a large rectangle, spread the sauteed garlic (keep the oil for later though) over the dough and fold over the edges to enclose the garlic.
Turn the dough over and brush with the remaining garlic infused oil, stud with the cooked garlic cloves and rosemary. Sprinkle a little flour over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes.



This bread was delicious, and very simple to do. The garlic centre was very mild and the garlic cloves steamed in their skins, making them a aromatic contrast to the rosemary.
I will be baking this bread again and again.