Do you remember our old food processor?
The one that I’ve been operating with a chopstick for the last four years?
Well, after nearly a quarter century of frequent use, it finally died.
And Pete bought me a brand new, super fantabulous Magimix 5200 XL…
It comes with a 30 year guarantee on the 1100W motor (three years on parts) and enough kit to require its own shelf in the cupboard.
I’m a very, very happy girl!
One of the first things we made was this easy chocolate cake – a homely, old-fashioned recipe from the lovely Gill…
- 250g (8oz) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 250g (8oz) white sugar (or 125g each of brown sugar and white sugar)
- 4 free range eggs
- 125g (4oz) self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used homemade)
- 60g (2oz) Dutch-process cocoa
- 60g (2oz) hazelnut or almond meal
1. Have all the ingredients at room temperature before starting. Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) with fan. Grease a loaf tin and/or line it with parchment paper (I used this Chicago Metallics tin and these loaf tin liners). I’ve also baked this cake in a 20cm (8″) round springform tin.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sifted cocoa and hazelnut or almond meal.
3. In the large bowl of the food processor (my new machine has THREE bowls!), pulse together the butter and sugar until well combined and light in colour. Scrape down the bowl.
4. Add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time and continue pulsing to combine. Add a spoonful of the flour mixture each time (if required) to stop the batter from curdling. Then add the remaining flour mixture, pulsing until just combined.
5. Scrape the batter into the lined loaf tin and bake for 60 – 70 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out cleanly. Allow to rest in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
The second time I made this, I baked it in a 20cm round tin, and topped it with our ever reliable chocolate frosting. It took about an hour to bake. I wasn’t quick enough to take a photo of the whole cake, but here’s a slice…
I’ve been searching for months for a family style chocolate cake – uncomplicated yet flavourful, without being overly rich or heavy. This one ticks all the boxes. Being able to make it in minutes in the food processor is, if you’ll excuse the pun, icing on the cake!
. . . . .
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 