You know you can depend.....on good old fashioned chocolate....cupcakes when you are feeling sad, down, depressed or even peckish!! Lately I have been thinking about chocolate. I think I haven't baked with chocolate for quite a while now.
Then I have been thinking that I missed quite a few baking challenges already due to work and things that I have been committed to doing during the weekends which will probably end by the time March is over. I realised geez, it is already the Cook like a Star Anniversary!!! I had been planning for that since I saw the event in Zoe's blog. I had participated in a few of the CLAS challenges but there have been quite a few of the cooking celebrities that I really liked their recipes and want to try out. I'm going to try at least one recipe from each celebrity that I have yet to cook or bake with.
This time round, it would be Nigella Lawson. I managed to bake a few recipes from Nigella Lawson the last CLAS she appeared in. It is not a new celebrity though. But because I'm thinking of chocolate, I think it would be natural to think of Nigella almost immediately.
When I saw her old fashioned chocolate cake recipe, I just wanted to bake this since it is so fuss free. This recipe is from her book Feast. See my modifications in blue.
Ingredients:
I brought this to office for my co-workers and they thoroughly enjoyed it. I even brought it for my gf Angie and she simply enjoyed the simplicity of the cupcakes without any icing. What can I say? Sour cream rocks? or Nigella rocks? Whatever because it doesn't matter. This is an awesome cake :)
Then I have been thinking that I missed quite a few baking challenges already due to work and things that I have been committed to doing during the weekends which will probably end by the time March is over. I realised geez, it is already the Cook like a Star Anniversary!!! I had been planning for that since I saw the event in Zoe's blog. I had participated in a few of the CLAS challenges but there have been quite a few of the cooking celebrities that I really liked their recipes and want to try out. I'm going to try at least one recipe from each celebrity that I have yet to cook or bake with.
This time round, it would be Nigella Lawson. I managed to bake a few recipes from Nigella Lawson the last CLAS she appeared in. It is not a new celebrity though. But because I'm thinking of chocolate, I think it would be natural to think of Nigella almost immediately.
When I saw her old fashioned chocolate cake recipe, I just wanted to bake this since it is so fuss free. This recipe is from her book Feast. See my modifications in blue.
Ingredients:
- 200 grams plain flour
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 40 grams best-quality cocoa powder
- 175 grams soft unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 150 ml sour cream
Method:
- Take everything out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to
gas mark 4/180°C/350ºF160 degrees celsius (fan) and line and butter two 20cm / 8 inch sandwich tins with removable bases. - Now all you have to do is put all the cake ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream - into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter. If you want to go the long way around, just mix the flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter until you have a combined and creamy mixture. Now whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture.
- Divide this batter, using a rubber spatula to help you scrape and spread, into the prepared tins and bake until a cake tester, or a thin skewer, comes out clean, which should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start checking at 25. Also, it might make sense to switch the two cakes around in the oven halfway through cooking time. I use cupcake cases and baked the cupcakes for about 20 minutes till the cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes, in their tins, to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of their tins. Don't worry about any cracks as they will easily be covered by the icing later.
Although it looks very rustic, I just simply love to admire the little cracks on top of the cupcakes. It does spell old fashion to me :) Now, would you love one too?
I brought this to office for my co-workers and they thoroughly enjoyed it. I even brought it for my gf Angie and she simply enjoyed the simplicity of the cupcakes without any icing. What can I say? Sour cream rocks? or Nigella rocks? Whatever because it doesn't matter. This is an awesome cake :)
As I mentioned earlier, I am submitting this post to Cook like a Star, ALL stars Anniversary organized by Zoe, Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Mich from Piece of Cake.
So do you wanna cook or bake like Donna Hay, Barefoot Contessa, Jamie Oliver, Martha Stewart, Delia Smith, Curtis Stone, Nigella Lawson, Ree Drummond and Bill Granger? To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from their websites or cookbooks and link with us at this Zoe's, this Joyce's or this Mich's post for the whole of March and April 2014.
So do you wanna cook or bake like Donna Hay, Barefoot Contessa, Jamie Oliver, Martha Stewart, Delia Smith, Curtis Stone, Nigella Lawson, Ree Drummond and Bill Granger? To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from their websites or cookbooks and link with us at this Zoe's, this Joyce's or this Mich's post for the whole of March and April 2014.
I'm also submitting this post to Cook-Your-Books #10 organized by Joyce of kitchenflavours.
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