I can't believe it's already December. I will admit though that I was one of those people who got a little excited early and my Christmas tree went up at the end of November (to Arthur's excitement!) but I still can't actually believe it's December and Christmas very very soon. I have been burning Christmas candles but they just don't have the same memory triggers as the scent of a real Christmas tree or the smell Sauerkraut and German sausages cooking. Those will come, which is when it will really feel like Christmas but I probably still wont believe it's actually here. It comes and goes so quickly these days... I think that means I'm getting old...
At the moment I'm doing a healthy eating kick but these recipes don't excite at all so instead of blogging how to make a fat free, sugar-less cake I will post a delicious recipe for a White Chocolate Mud Cake from one of the most used recipe books on my shelf 'Bake' by Alison Thompson. If I need to bake a cake, this one comes out! It's kind of appropriate if we did have a white christmas but it's a really great simple melt and mix recipe for those who don't have a kitchen-aid (I am hoping Santa is reading this... please Santa please!).
The decoration on this was pretty poor and non existent... for Christmas you could add a huge pile of fresh berries which would go beautifully and look very cute and celebratory or add white chocolate shavings or put some holly on top for a great pudding alternative if you haven't already made one.
Melt and Mix White Chocolate Mud Cake.
recipe from Bake by Alison Thompson
(adapted ever so slightly)
Cake-
500g unsalted butter
500ml full fat milk
450g caster sugar
300g white chocolate, chopped (or buttons)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
600g plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
Ganache-
150ml pouring cream
400g white chocolate, chopped
- First thing is to line a 25cm cake tin (if you have one that is 1cm bigger or smaller it's ok) with baking paper then line the base of the outside of the tin with foil. You do this because the mixture is very runny and a spring form tin normally leaks batter all over your oven and I'm a 'play it safe kinda gal!'.
- Next pre-heat your oven to 150C or 320F (long and low baby!)
- Come your chopped butter, milk, sugar and chocolate in a saucepan and heat over low heat until everything is melted. Set aside until it is lukewarm.
- Pour the milk mixture into a large bowl and add the eggs and vanilla giving everything a good whisk. Add the flour and baking powder and mix until it is smooth. Mine looked lumpy here so I just kept whisking until the lump disappeared so keep whisking!!
- Pour the cake batter into your prepared tin and make for about 2 hours. Yep. It's a long time but it's ready when a skewer comes out clean with no batter on it, only a few crumbs. This may take a little longer or a little less depending on your oven but I have found it's about 2 -2.5 hours. If you find it starts to colour alot on top place a few sheets of baking paper on the top to protect it.
- Let cake cook in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a rack until cooled completely.
- To make Ganache: Boil the cream and pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir/whisk until smooth.
- When the cake is cooled, pour the warm ganache over the top of the cake. Don't let it run all the way down the side like I did because you end up with a huge puddle on your cake board or plate which you then have to wipe up and waste delicious ganache.
- Decorate better than I did (suggestions above) and Enjoy!!