I'm poorly today (boooo!) so to keep myself able to power through my work I've been mainlining coffee. I also needed comforting so wanted cake but also not to leave the house. That meant I spent an hour this evening whipping up this yummy chocolate & coffee cake. It's usually raises to impressive heights but I was not feeling like making such an effort so just whacked all the ingredients in a food processor rather than following my method below. It still looks and tastes good, so I say that's a win for a sexy snot-monster. The icing is really creamy and delicious.
Ingredients
For the sponge
150g
caster sugar
150g
butter or margarine
3
eggs
100g
plain flour
50g
cocoa powder
1
1/2 tsp baking powder
1
tbsp hot water
1
tbsp instant coffee
For the icing
225g
icing sugar
100g
butter or margarine
2
tbsp instant coffee
Splash
of hot water
Method
Preheat
the oven at 160C. Line and grease a cake tin.
Add
the sugar and the butter to a bowl and cream together.
Separate
the eggs and add the yolks to the butter/sugar mixture.
Fold
in the flour and baking powder.
Dissolve
the coffee in the boiling water and add to the mixture still folding.
Whisk
the egg whites and fold it in gently until combined.
Add to the sandwich tin and cook for 30
minutes.
While
the sponge is cooking, make the icing by creaming the butter and the
icing sugar until light and fluffy. Dissolve the coffee in a splash of
hot water and add it to the butter and icing sugar (not too much or it
will be runny). Whisk and leave in the fridge until the cake is done.
Once
the cake is out of the oven and fully cooled, either cut in half and spread
icing in the middle or frost the outside. Add nuts if desired.
I have been hacking the humble ice cube tray for years. Now the sun is furtively peeking out from behind the clouds, let me open your mind to a world of chilly wonder. Just follow my tips below and once fully frozen, stick the cubes in a ziplock bag and label/date contents clearly.
Coffee
Made a pot? Had 5 cups? Jazzed up like a monkey on speed? Heart palpitations? The last cold cup just going to be thrown away? HELL NO, SON! Pop that bad boy in your ice tray. You want a cheap-ass Frappuccino? Frappu-welcome, bitches.
Wine
Sometimes (rarely) I can’t finish a bottle of wine. When this happens I freeze it. Then you can plop them into sauces at the opportune moment. Or, more likely make sangria / wine slushies (I like pineapple juice and a handful of Chablis cubes - Summer in a freaking glass, home girl).
Speaking from horrible, horrible experience, I cannot emphasise my introductory labelling point enough as we move from white wine to stock.
Stock
The best culinary results come from the best raw ingredients. In an ideal world we’d all be making our own stock from scratch. “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” I hear you screech. Well, actually it’s not that hard. Next time you have a roast just boil up the bones (and/or giblets) with a few veggies (check here for a good Jamie version if you don’t have a family recipe). Reduce by half to concentrate then when you want to use some just dissolve in boiling water. If stored properly, it lasts about four months and saves using up all your Tupperware.
Repeat for vegetable, fish and beef stocks. Also a good ‘ice lolly’ for the dog.
Spinach
Stay with me here, stud. Spinach + a bit of water blended and then frozen is a great way to save the leaves from going bad if you’ve bought a value pack. Add to smoothies for extra iron – hidden in a berry blitz or out and proud in an apple concoction it is delicious. Remember: if you eats your spinach you’ll be strong to the finish! I’ve always had a thing for sailors...
Anyway…you can do the same with herbs or other green leaves for seasoning soups, etc.
The big finish
So this isn’t strictly sticking with the ‘leftovers’ theme but how great is this idea: tomato chili and cucumber basil cubes?! First seen for a DIY Bloody Mary bar but the cucumber ones would be lovely in Pimms.
This got me thinking about other ‘ice’ combos. How about grapefruit and lime for Palomas, or mint infused water for juleps, lemon and rosemary for a jumped up Collins. Possibilities are endless. Maximum cool points (pun intended).
