Hello, friends! I am back from a break away for my birthday and boy, you really don’t realise how much you need it until you leave behind your daily norms. We were only an hour away from home, but sometimes a change of scenery is all you need. Well I say change of scenery, but Somerset is just as leafy and green as Devon!
We escaped to a quaint converted milk parlour nestled in the Quantock Hills. Surrounded by fields and forests, we spent our days walking, eating, drinking and relaxing. It was bliss.
I had a fantastic birthday and received some amazing gifts that I wanted to share with you - new cook books! As you know, I have gained a somewhat unhealthy obsession with collecting cook books since starting this kitchen journey - so new additions to the shelf are always welcome.
I’m super excited to dive into them, so I will be making at least a couple of recipes from each over the next week or so. Here are the books and what I’m planning to make:
The Tucci Table - by Stanley Tucci and Felicity Blunt
Tuscan tomato soup
Quinoa salad with feta, pomegranate and pistachio
Spice - by Mark Diacono
Bacon and caraway tart
Bharat Blackcurrant Eccles cakes
Vegetables - by Mark Diacono
Huevos rotos
Freekeh with squash, beetroot and pomegranate
Nadiya’s Everyday Baking - by Nadiya Hussain
Smashed spiced chickpeas
Maple milk cake
Larousse Patisserie and Baking - by multiple chefs
Yogurt cake
Flourless orange cake
Looking at that list I think I’ve got a good variety of things to make! If you too have any of the books above and would like to recommend a recipe from them for me to try - let me know in the comments:
I’m looking forward to getting back in the kitchen properly next week, however I did manage to whip up this deliciously fluffy chocolate cake for Ben!
The Shot: This was actually the first snap I did of this cake. After playing around with various angles and props, I kept coming back to this one. I like how it’s slightly moody and slightly mysterious. What it is giving me is 100% Miss Trunchbull’s chocolate cake vibes! Thankfully, no blood, sweat and tears in this recipe.
Recipe: Simple chocolate cake
🧈 Ingredients
200g Milk chocolate, broken into pieces
200ml vegetable oil (plus a bit extra for greasing)
200g caster sugar
4 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
100ml milk
🥣 Instructions
Preheat Your Oven: Heat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and line two 9-inch round cake tins with a bit of vegetable oil and line the bottom with baking paper.
Melt the Chocolate: In a heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
Mix the Batter: In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the vegetable oil, beating continuously. Stir in the melted chocolate. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder, then fold gently until well combined. Finally, stir in the milk.
Time to Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared tins. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely - usually a couple of hours.
Chocolate Icing
🧈 Ingredients
100g Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate, broken into pieces
100g unsalted butter, softened
200g icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp milk
🥣 Instructions
Melt the Chocolate: In a heatproof bowl, melt the Cadbury’s chocolate over a pan of simmering water. Once melted, set aside to cool slightly.
Prepare the Icing: In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar and cocoa powder, beating until well combined. Add the melted chocolate and beat again. If the icing is too thick, add 2-3 tablespoons of milk until you reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.
Assembling the Cake
Layer the Cakes: Place one of the cooled cakes on a serving plate and spread a generous amount of chocolate icing on top. Place the second cake on top and press down gently.
Ice the Cake: Use the remaining icing to cover the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it out with a spatula.
Decorate (Optional): You can add chocolate shavings, sprinkles, or any decorations you fancy.
Next week I’ll be sharing my new Recipe Planner, which is exciting! I’ve been working on various iterations on this - and now feeling happy with where it’s at. If you’ve been struggling with finding a digital option for tracking and planning recipes, this might be perfect for you.
Until then, friends - thank you for reading. As always, it’s very much appreciated.
-Mark
Happy birthday! And delighted to have been a small part of it.
A great collection of books to keep you going, and a great looking chocolate cake.