Granma's chocolate cake

I remember spending school holidays with my granny and all my cousins in the rural town of Mathuba in Northern Kwazula Natal, thats in South Africa for those who dont know.  It was a great small town in the 90s. Although I missed the big city of Durban one thing I looked forward to there besides listening to my papas world war stories was baking with my Gran. This cake was a family favourite passed down from generation to generation. It is a great light and fluffy chocolate that lends well to be used for cupcakes and even in trifles. It is easy to make and all will love it. 

Time:  prep:15 minutes 

           cook: 20 minutes

           total: 35 minutes 

Ingredients

Chocolate sponge

1 1/4 cups cake flour

4 Teaspoons baking powder 

4 Tablespoons Cocoa 

1/2 cup oil 

1/2 cup lukewarm water 

4 large eggs 

1 1/4 cups castor sugar 

1 Teasponn vanilla easence

Method 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Put the oil and water into a beaker. In another bowl beat eggs and castor sugar till light and fluffy. When its thickened and fluffy you know its right. Pour a little of the dry ingredients and a little oil and water into the beaten eggs and mix with a wooden spoon. Continue until all is incorporated into the egg mixture. Mix gently to keep the air in the mixture.  Add the teaspoon of vanilla escense and mix. Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 20 minutes. Test for readyness with a toothpick if it comes out clean it is ready if it is still to soft leave for another 5 minutes.  Cool completely before icing. 

Enjoy with basic chocolate buttercream icing or with a filling of chocolate mousse and topped with chocolate ganache and strawberries.

Bar one cake

Ingredients
CAKE:

45 ml cocoa
80 ml boiling water
150 g butter or margarine
200 g castor sugar (250ml)
3 extra large eggs
300 g cake flour (500ml)
10 ml baking powder
3 ml bicarbonate of soda
2 ml salt
250 ml buttermilk or plain yoghurt

ICING:

55 g Bar One chocolate, broken into pieces
100 g Albany chocolate, broken into pieces
100 ml fresh cream
45 ml butter or margarine

Method
Preheat oven at 180°. Line a 20cm spring form pan with baking paper and spray with non stick cooking spray.
Mix cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth and set aside to cool. Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Add cocoa powder mixture. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack.
For the icing place all ingredients in a glass bowl. Place in microwave on medium for 2-4 minutes stirring every minute until completely melted. Spoon over cooled cake and allow to set

Chocolate Caramel Fudge Cake

Ingredients
2 cup cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter or margerine
2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled (see no1 cup dairy sour cream1 cup boiling water

FILLING
1/2 cup butter or margerine
12 oz package caramels, unwrapped
1 can sweetened condensed milk (not evapo, rated)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 by 13 cake pan. Setaside. Sift together the cake flour, baking soda and salt and setaside. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.Blend in the eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in thevanilla and melted chocolate. Alternately add the dry ingredients andthe sour cream to the butter mixture. Beat well after each addition.Stir in boiling water. (Batter will be thin) Divide cake batter inhalf. Pour one half into the prepared cake pan. Bake 10 - 12 minutes,or until firm to the touch, and remove from the oven. Meanwhile,prepare the filling. Mix butter, caramels, and condensed milk in asauace pan and melt over low heat, stirring often. Remove from thestove and pour the mixture over the baked half of the cake. Pour theremaining cake batter over the caramel mixture and return to theoven. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until firm to the touch. When cool,serve with ice cream, whipped cream or frost with your favoritechocolate frosing. NOTE: melt chocolate in double boiler over simmer(not boiling water)
Servings: 12 servings

Chocolate panna cotta

I found this delicious recipe while surfing the net, I thought you'd like to try it, and once you have let us know what you thought of it.

Ingredients
Cake:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot coffee
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream Panna Cotta:
1/2 cup water
5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
7 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, such as Lindt or Perugina, chopped
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 vanilla beans, split lengthwise Chocolate Band:
2 16x3-inch strips waxed paper
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation

For cake:Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 10-inch-diameter springform pans with 2 1/2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl. Pour hot coffee and hot water over; whisk until smooth. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat oil and both sugars in large bowl 1 minute (mixture will be crumbly). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in sour cream. Mix in half of dry ingredients. Beat in chocolate mixture. Add remaining dry ingredients; beat on low speed just to blend (batter will be thin). Divide batter between pans (layers will be shallow).
Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pans on rack.


For panna cotta:Place 1/2 cup water in small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over; let soften 10 minutes. Place both chocolates in large metal bowl. Combine cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla beans; add beans. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves; remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture; whisk to dissolve. Pour cream mixture over chocolates in bowl; whisk until completely melted. Place bowl over a larger bowl of ice water. Stir often until mixture thickens like pudding, draining off water and adding more ice to larger bowl as needed, about 30 minutes. Remove from over water.
Pour 1/2 of panna cotta over cake in 1 pan (mixture may drip down sides of cake). Freeze 45 minutes. Keep remaining panna cotta at room temperature.
Remove pan sides from second cake. Using large metal spatula, carefully slide cake off of pan bottom and place atop panna cotta in cake pan. Pour remaining panna cotta over, filling pan completely. Chill overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be covered and frozen for 2 weeks. Defrost overnight in refrigerator before continuing.
For chocolate band:Line large baking sheet with foil; set aside. Place another large sheet of foil on work surface; place waxed paper strips atop foil, spacing apart. Stir chocolate in medium bowl set over pan of simmering water until smooth. Pour half of melted chocolate down center of each waxed paper strip. Using small offset spatula, spread chocolate to cover strips evenly, allowing some of chocolate to extend beyond edges of paper strips, making sure strips are completely covered. Using fingertips, lift strips and place on foil-lined sheet. Chill until chocolate just begins to set but is still completely flexible, about 2 minutes.
Cut around pan sides to release cake. Remove pan sides from cake. Using fingertips, lift 1 chocolate band from foil. Wrap band around cake, waxed-paper side out, lining up 1 long edge with bottom of cake (band will be higher than cake). Repeat with second band, arranging so ends just meet, pressing band onto uncovered side of cake. If bands overlap, trim any excess paper and chocolate. Using fingertips, press top edge of band in toward cake, forming slight ruffle. Chill until chocolate sets, 5 minutes. Gently peel off waxed paper. Chill cake. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill.