Chocolate, Cranberry and Port Bundt Cake

There didn’t seem a better way to introduce myself than with this flavoursome show stopper, but then I wasn’t satisfied with the outcome and had to try again… so another recipe introduced my blog! Practice makes perfect though, so get ready for something truly indulgent and delicious.

This might not look like a masterpiece sitting in the middle of the table, but you’ll never look back once you’ve had a mouthful of the rich, chocolatey goodness.

If you read my opening post, you will know that the purpose of this blog is to share with you my addiction to food on Pinterest and how my life revolves around trying new recipes… And well… Just eating. There will be a mixture of savoury and sweet with a focus around ‘healthier’ food choices (as I am currently studying nutrition/diet/fitness). All recipes will be a result of the hours and hours spent rummaging through boards on Pinterest drooling and pinning the possibilities that are presented to me. I never want to wait… I have an instant need to eat it there and then.

I said the majority of my posts will be showcasing healthier recipes, but why not start with a few things truly decadent.  A Chocolate, Cranberry and Port Bundt Cake, fits the bill perfectly. I came across this recipe whilst browsing during a break at work. I love Port, so the idea of putting it in a cake really appeals to me.

Note: Not all the recipes I test come out exactly how they are supposed to! But I post my version and the original recipe, so you can choose what to follow 🙂 My recipes follow UK baking guidelines and UK available ingredients. Some of the recipes I recreate are American, so little details can alter (like this recipe!)

http://www.bakersroyale.com/cakes/chocolate-cranberry-port-wine-cake/

Credit to Bakers Royale. Without this Blog, I would never have discovered this wonderful and indulgent cake. *floats of into another chocolate and port filled dream world* (Photo above as you have probably guessed, is what lured me into making this cake).

The iPhone photo above makes my cake look irresistible right?! Ha! *rolls eyes* I promise the photos will start to improve once I manage my time better! And have patience to wait till the syrup soaks into the sponge….

The taste was delicious and it went down a treat. The recipe did not fail to deliver as the flavour was incredible. I had to refrain from eating more than my fair share. And I was even requested to make another one for an occasion later in the year.

The issue…. Substituting ‘cake flour’ for ‘self-raising’. In the UK, some of you may or may not know that cake flour isn’t readily available because UK food standards have banned it due to the way it is produced (bleached and heat-treated). As a result of swapping the flours, the texture changed and made the cake crumbly. It was in no way dry because the port reduction made it light and moist, but cutting an even slice like the original recipe photo suggests, became a little impossible. After some research on how to solve this, I realised that I should have used plain flour and not self-raising because the extra agents added in the self-raising made the mixture too delicate. It did firm up the day after though, so if you can hold out (which I found incredibly hard!), you’ll get a firmer, less crumbly cake.

Note: If a recipe states a certain size of egg and/or a particular temperature, always listen because even swapping a large egg for a medium sized one will alter the final result.

On my second attempt, I used plain flour and the texture was perfect. The flavour was more intense too, which is never a bad thing! It is delicious!

The original recipe asks for vegetable oil, but I substituted it for 100% cold-pressed rapeseed oil. Both oils are essentially the same thing but vary in quality. I believe cold-pressed is a purer oil and therefore much better for your digestive system. If you are going to use an oil other than vegetable/rapeseed, I recommend you use something that doesn’t have a dominant flavour. So ideally not olive oil as this will leave a distinctive flavour behind in the cake when cooked.

Nutrition: Rapeseed oil is lower in saturated fat and high in mono and poly unsaturated fats, so a great choice over other fats and oils as it can result in lower cholesterol levels.

Apart from the issue with the flour, everything else was perfect. There isn’t any need to buy an expensive bottle of port as it’s the concentrated flavour you rely on once it’s been heated; and you can really taste it in the final product. There might be a few port related posts to follow…

If you would like this recipe converted in to grams and with my alterations, please let me know and I’d be happy to give it to you.

 

From Lemon with Love ❤ xxx

Dark Chocolate & Ginger Brownies

What do you do when a work colleague leaves a big piece of ginger on your desk? You make beautifully spiced baked treats! To make this combination even better, a mouthwatering tin of rich dark chocolate was added to the list by another generous colleague. How can I let them down!? There are eagerly awaiting mouths to feed.

Ginger cake is always an easy recipe to fall to, so I had to think of something with a bit more oomph! Who doesn’t like a gooey brownie! You bite in to the rich, dark, chocolate, spongy flesh and a ginger blanket wraps you in warmth. Mmmm. Getting them to the office was the hard part! The urge to eat them all was almost too much to bare. A few pieces went missing in order to feed my ‘better’ halves work force (as well as the essential taste test at home). I wonder if he tells them who really made them and not lead them to believe a budding chef roams in their midst.

There are a few things I would change, but overall they were a great success. I do offer a bit of advice though… Only eat one at a time! They are very rich and there is a possibility yo’ll end up feeling a little sick! The only problem is, who can eat just one piece at a time? You can fit at least 3 in whilst having a brew! It is definitely difficult to have that sort of control over my cake to hand to mouth action.

The verdict of my boyfriend is that they are ‘delicious’. But the relationship contract states that I am a baking Goddess at all times, so he has to say that. The fact that they didn’t make it to lunch time in the office must be a good sign.

The recipe doesn’t state what kind of flour is to be used, so I opted for wholemeal. It gives an added depth to the mixture that white flour seems to lack, although a lot of people prefer white flour. If I make this recipe again (which I am most definitely planning on doing), I would like to try ground almonds as I believe this will give an amazing flavour and make the brownies extra moist. As well as be edible for my poor Gluten Intolerant friends.

It’s not often I get a recipe perfect first time, but that’s ok! It gives me an excuse to keep baking till I perfect it. The mixture needs to be poured into a tin big enough to allow it to breathe and expand. I couldn’t find my large tin and as a result, the brownie didn’t rise as much as I would have liked. It became quite dense. (I tried again with a bigger tin and white flour, the results were amazing!) The recipe has been adapted from the Website Good To Know.

If you prefer, dark chocolate with ginger can be used to replace the grated ginger. But ground ginger won’t give the desired taste. I used a mixture of grated ginger and dark chocolate with ginger. This was not intentional but ended up being a perfect combination. I ran out of plain dark chocolate and luckily had some of my secret stash chocolate left. Personally, a little more ginger could have been added, but you can alter the amount according to your tastebuds. Not everybody loves the tangy spice of warming ginger!

As per all of my recipes, if you try, please feel free to comment and pass your opinion back to me.

Love and Ginger xxx

Recipe: Serves 18

– 250g chocolate, broken in to pieces (I used a mix of dark chocolate and ginger chocolate)
– 250g melted butter
– 5 eggs
– 250g dark muscovado sugar
– 150g plain flour, sifted
– 4x pieces stem ginger (from a jar), chopped (I used grated ginger)

Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/Fan 160c/Gas 4. Line a cake tin with greaseproof paper

Very gently melt the chocolate using either the microwave or over a bowl of hot water. Once melted, add the butter and stir until glossy.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar using a whisk until pale, fluffy and thick.

Add the chocolate mixture, whisking again until smooth and well combined.

Fold in the flour carefully. Add the stem ginger (or grated) and fold in, the pour the brownie batter into the prepared cake tin.

Bake for 20-25mins. Cool, then cut in to squares and ENJOY!

Who Am I?

Well this is one introduction that isn’t going to start with ‘Hi, my name is’. I’m not into that sort of mush. My love of food came from my childhood. You could definitely tell because I wasn’t a slender youth. It hasn’t always been nutritious and delicious food I have always taken an interest in. I would eat anything I could get my hands on, and that I certainly did. I chomped my way through the carefree teenage years. My passion for flavour came later on when I moved from home to go to University. It was an absolute delight being able to choose what I wanted to cook, and actually learn how to do more than the staples I grew up on.

Levi Roots!

I found that researching ingredients and having a look at what meals consisted of was very interesting and it wasn’t long before food started to consume all my time once again, but for all the good reasons. I had discovered a gym by this point! I had become health conscious and my life now revolves around food and fitness. So much so that I would like to pursue a career in food rather than straight photography (which is what I have a degree in). Not everything I eat is healthy though! It’s about getting the balance right. Fresh ingredients and low-fat options where possible. But…. Cake is one of my weaknesses. There is NO WAY I am giving that beautiful spongy flesh up! I’m not aiming for a supermodel body. I’m a normal human being who loves to stuff their face full of food. I definitely live to eat. And I’ll try everything once!

My life is all about excitement and adventure. The most important things in my life are food, travelling, family and friends. Nothing else is needed. I would LOVE to meet Jamie Oliver and Heston Blumenthal! But then again come to think of it, I’d also love to meet the Hairy Bikers and Gordon Ramsey. But Mr Oliver is top of the list!

Tokyo ’13 – Now that’s one dessert worth going back for!

In my Blog, I want to share with you my enjoyment of food. Things that I have tried and tested (and the occasional meal out and about worthy of sharing).

I hope you enjoying sharing my passion. Please feel free to comment or send me ideas you think I should try. If you do try any of my recipes, do send me photographs and comments on how they turn out. I am very interested in how other people adapt instructions and what the finished result is. If it’s edible, it’s a success!

I have briefly worked as a dessert chef for a country-style restaurant before realising that I’m not cut out for all those hours without sunlight! My aim is to work for myself, so follow my hopefully successful journey in to the world of FOOD!

My brief life as a professional!

Oh an yeh… I’m Lem. Nice to have you on board.

Love xx