Anybody else not looking forward to the holiday gorging?
I just cannot stand the outrageously unethical bounty of food that goes to waste every year at parties and family gatherings. Some of it of poor quality too! To fight the holiday wastefulness, I propose an unusual chocolate cake for your holiday celebrations.
This healthier desert option is made with whole wheat flour and therefore guilt free! The cake will surprise you with its flavour and texture. If you use dark chocolate you will achieve a deep, decadent flavour with rich and moist texture. I like to flavour my chocolate cakes with a variety of liquors (for this cake I used Cointreau for hints of orange). The recipe is straightforward and quick, letting you wow your family and friend at a low cost (financially and time-wise).
Ingredients
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 80 g dark chocolate
- 60 g butter
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream 18% (I replaced with yogurt this time, but sour cream is a better choice)
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- optional: 2 Tbs of your favour liquor
Plus, a 23 cm round cake form lined with parchment paper (bottom only).
Chocolate icing
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 40 g butter
Procedure
Cake
Preheated the oven to 180°C/355°F.
In a bowl sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Melt the chocolate in pot (be careful not to burn it) and cool it enough to safely mix with eggs.
In a bowl, using a mixer beat butter with sugar until you get a light (in colour and texture) batter. Beat in the eggs; one at a time and beating very well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, melted chocolate and mix until well combined (at this stage I added 1 Tbs of Cointreau for orange flavour).
Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the sour cream/yogurt. Mix with a spatula only until combined. Repeat with the remaining of dry ingredients and sour cream/yogurt. Finally, add the boiling water and mix well with a spatula.
Transfer the batter to the cake pan and bake for about 30-40 min. Check your cake with a skewer – the dough should be wet but there should be no sign of raw dough. When done, take out of the oven and let cool to room temperature. The cake will slightly fall in the middle, that’s normal.
Chocolate icing
In a small pot melt the butter. Add chocolate and heat slightly, stirring occasionally, until the butter and chocolate are combined.
Decoration
Pour the icing on cooled cake and spread with a flat knife or an icing spatula. If you like your cake to be perfectly flat on top, flip it upside down and then ice it.
Original recipe from here.
Magdalena's 