My Favourite Cakes
If you don’t know me then perhaps a caution that I’m a bit on the lazy side…I don’t like to expend energy if I can help it. I totally love the recipes that say ” place all ingredients in the bowl” and using an electric mixer, beat for 3 minutes. So perhaps that’s one of the reasons, I adore this cake. But lots of people also love chocolate as a flavour, me included. Don’t you love chocolate? The other day we devoured a whole 400g (15oz) bar of Toblerone – the “Milk Chocolate Bar with Honey and Almond Nougat.” It was so good. The sort of chocolate you eat, without talking to the person next to you, because you want to savour the flavour.
For this cake you can use any liqueur you have in your cabinet. I love Baileys and Amarula, so I used Baileys Irish Cream, hazelnut flavour. The cake can either be eaten with tea or coffee but also served as dessert with ice-cream or whipped cream and some fresh fruits in season. I hope you enjoy browsing through the recipe and who knows? perhaps you’ll find time to bake it?
Please always assemble all ingredients before you start. Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Grease an 8-inch square or 9 inch round pan (tin) and cover the base with parchment (greaseproof paper).
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa.
Combine the sifted flour, butter, eggs, sugar and milk in a large bowl and beat on low speed using an electric mixer, until ingredients are combined.
Increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes or until mixture is smooth and paled in colour
Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for about 1¼ hours or until firm.
Remove from oven, brush the hot cake with the 30ml Baileys cream, stand 5 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack.
Whisk the cream and the extra Baileys until soft peaks form. Spread on top of cake and sprinkle with the extra cocoa powder.
Serve.
This cake is a winner. What more can I say????
Arguably the best cake I’ve tasted in ages, and easy to make too!
Chocolate Marsala Cake
Preparation time: 15 minutes; Baking time: 1 hour; Serves; 8 slices
Ingredients
- 275g (10oz, 2¼ cups) all-purpose flour
- 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 40g (⅓ cup) cocoa powder (I used Dutch processed)
- 125g (4.5oz) butter
- 3 eggs
- 330g (12oz, 11/3 cup) sugar
- 180ml (¾ cup) milk
- 30ml (2 tablespoons) Baileys or sherry or port (I used Baileys Irish Cream)
- 120ml (½ cup) whipping, double (35%) cream
- 1 teaspoon, Baileys Irish Cream, extra
- 1 teaspoon, cocoa, extra
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Grease an 8-inch square or 9 inch round pan (tin) and cover the base with parchment (greaseproof paper). Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa.
- Combine the sifted flour, butter, eggs, sugar and milk in a large bowl and beat on low speed using an electric mixer, until ingredients are combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes or until mixture is smooth and paled in colour.
- Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for about 1¼ hours or until firm. Remove from oven, brush the hot cake with the 30ml Baileys cream, stand 5 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack.
- Whisk the cream and the extra Baileys until soft peaks form. Spread on top of cake and sprinkle with extra cocoa powder. Serve.
Points to Note:
- Please note that oven temperatures are given as a guideline only. You may need to add or reduce the suggested temperature depending on your oven. I baked the cake at 340°F (170°C) for 60 minutes (1 hour).
- I always weigh ingredients, especially the flour and butter. You can use cup measures, but please note if you scoop flour directly from the bag you will end up with 150-185 g of flour instead of the recommended 125g. I suggest you spoon the flour into the cup, heaping it up over the top, then slide a knife across the top to level off the extra. Be careful not to shake or tap the cup to settle down the flour or you will have more than you need. You can also sift the flour first then scoop. Best advice: use a weighing scale, you’ll get the best results.
- Cocoa Powder 1 cup = 120g
myfavouritepastime.com
