Double Trouble | Recipes

And by double trouble, I mean double trouble for my hips! I've been baking again and I never think of the effects it has on my waistline I just love baking! I've made a three tier chocolate cake (PHWOAR!) and what were supposed to be cookies but look more like big blobs of chocolate (or more like something naughty a dog does). Maybe I will leave it for other people to eat.....maybe! 

As always, I thought I would share the recipes with you so you can give them a go if you like :) 

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

225g self-raising flour, sifted

225g margarine, softened

225g castor sugar

55g cocoa powder

4 large eggs

55ml whole milk (I'm a rebel and used semi-skimmed)

a pinch of salt

For the icing:

350g unsalted butter

250g icing sugar

200g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used cocoa powder)

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (150 for fan oven). Grease and line three 7" cake tins with greaseproof paper. Prepare and measure all the ingredients.

2. Combine all the ingredients for the sponge and beat together for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

3. Divide the batter evenly between the 3 tins and bake for 20 minutes until risen. Remove from the oven and let the sponges cool in their tins for 10 minutes. 

4. Turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling; peel away any paper that is stuck to their bases.

5. Melt the icing chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted, then remove from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.

6. Beat the ingredients for the icing in a bowl until fluffy. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Place one sponge on a plate and spread a third of the icing on top. Sandwich the second sponge on top and spread the top with half the remaining icing. Sit the final sponge on top and spread the remaining icing on top.

I then decorated mine with heart haribos and because I had baked this cake for my husband I used fondant balls to write I Love You because I do love my husband :) 

DELICIOUS!

Cookies (Lumps of chocolate)

Ingredients:

110g plain flour, sifted

75g unsalted butter, chilled

55g icing sugar

55g cocoa powder, sifted

110g dark chocolate chips (Asda was sold out so I used chocolate buttons)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1. Measure and prepare all of the ingredients. Combine together the icing sugar, cocoa powder, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Rub the butter into this mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 

3. Add the egg, dark chocolate chips and vanilla extract and mix until a stiff dough forms.

4. Gather up and roll into a sausage shape with a diameter of 8-10cm. Wrap in greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. (I completely missed out this step so maybe that's why my cookies didn't really work haha)

5. Grease and line 2 trays with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 for fan oven). Use a cutter to cut out 1cm thick cookies from the dough. Arrange on the trays and bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool further.