Chocolate Orange Cake
I made this for my sister's birthday. She didn't know I was making it. She didn't get it on her birthday either, but it was close enough.
I wanted to try something different using some of the orange curd I made at the beginning of February. I also wanted to redeem myself a little for the ultra-rich chocolate ganache experience on the Buche Noel we made together at Christmas!
Unfortunately there were some problems when I made this. I'd bought two new silicone cake moulds and was trying them for the first time. It turns out these particular ones were only non-stick if they were greased first, which sorta ruins the point (are you listening, Tesco?). So I had some trimming to do, then some filling plasterer stylee using ganache.
The intention with this cake was to have a chocolate sponge sandwiched with orange curd, coated with milk chocolate ganache and stylishly finished with a topping of orange jelly. It would be all glass-like, shiny and posh. Instead, to finish off my run of bad luck, the jelly fell apart thanks to aforementioned crap silicone moulds. It turns out that they're useless for anything.
So this was the result.
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| Chocolate Orange Cake The decoration went a bit wrong! |
I was reliably informed that it tasted lovely. Looks aren't everything, and that's as true with cakes as it is with people, apparently! My final issue with the cake was that I let the ganache set too much before using it, leaving it a bit dull and ... well, you can see for yourself. The orange stuff on top was a spread of orange curd, some of the broken-up jelly and some chocolate sprinkles. If you ask me it was the chocolate sprinkles that finished it off to be the artful masterpiece it so clearly happens to be. It doesn't look at all like someone hurled on it!
Chocolate Caramel Cake Balls
I seem to recall there's some big thing about cake pops. Well these aren't cake pops. They're not ultra sweet with butter icing and with a stick shoved up them!
I don't usually aim for trends when it comes to anything, as my clothing may well confirm to anyone who sees me. The fact that I made cake balls on this occasion was a fluke.
I was experimenting with using little pieces of chopped up fudge in my cake mix, to see whether they would all just sink to the bottom before I added them to a colleague's birthday cake. I was right to test the theory first as they did indeed sink. Not only that, they also stuck to the paper cases (I made cupcakes) and the fudge hardened to something more like toffee; the light crunchy kind that doesn't break your teeth. So even as cupcakes they were a disaster.
Now then, do I waste food? Yes, sometimes, despite my best attempts. Do I waste cake? Um. Do I look like I waste cake????
So I grabbed a big bowl and I scraped all the cake from their cases, broke it all up, and instead of binding it together with butter icing like people do with cake pops (so I'm told), I used some cream. This was mostly because I don't like super-sweet butter icing cakes so much, but also because I couldn't be fecked making the butter icing!
I think you already know what I did next. Clever clogs! Yes, I made little balls then finished them by dipping them into melted milk chocolate, then drizzled them with white chocolate.
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| Chocolate Caramel Cake Balls |
As mistakes go this was one of my better ones! They tasted fab; light vanilla sponge, crunchy pieces of caramel, belgian chocolate. What's not to like?
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| Chocolate Caramel Cake Balls Delectable! |
The only thing I would do differently in future, and I will make these again, is that I would use a little less cream to make sure they're not too solid. A couple were a little dense. It didn't stop them being eaten, though.
Caramel Cream Cake
This was the birthday cake I made for a colleague, for which I experimented and ended up with non-violated cake pops.
I decided to keep this one simple. I'd already had accidents happen, so I held back this time. I always knew I wanted to make a caramel cake for her but I also knew they could be ridiculously sweet. That wasn't what I wanted people to remember.
So, I made a basic vanilla sponge and sandwiched it with the same caramel I used for the Caramel Slice back in January, and some whipped cream. I topped it off with more caramel and some little crispy chocolate ball things for a little texture.
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| Caramel Cream Cake |
I can honestly say it's one of the nicest cakes I've made for some time. It was simplicity itself. There were no gimmicks and I didn't try to be clever with the filling, design or the finish. I just wanted it to look okay and taste wonderful. From the sounds that came from my colleagues it tasted orgasmic. I'm certain the guy in the office down the corridor would have had no choice but to investigate had he heard us. I'm not sure whether he would've been relieved or disappointed to find four women only eating cake!
Wraps
We're finally on the home stretch! This will be a short one, I promise. This time I wanted to make something I can actually eat without feeling guilty or naughty, and as I flicked through my new book from Paul Hollywood (How To Bake) it was obvious what I'd try first. I knew if I didn't make them today I'd only end up buying some in the supermarket tomorrow, and why would I do that when I already know his recipe will be so much tastier?
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| That's a Wrap! (or seven; the rest are already in the freezer) |
They're lovely! They're soft and delicious and so easy to make. Because they're only for me I wasn't all that concerned with whether or not they were perfectly round (as you can clearly see!). However I do feel the need to add extra flavour the next time I make them. Perhaps some garlic. Maybe toasted sesame. A few herbs.
I have no doubt that these will become a regular bake for me, especially as they usually replace bread in my diet. Although now I have this book I have an intense desire to attempt plaiting eight strands of dough until I go dizzy! Don't know to what I'm referring? Take a look here, and watch this space!
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