Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake! Think – blueberry crumble meets warm lemon cake with a crunchy buttery streusel topping and melty scoop of vanilla ice cream. It tastes even better than it sounds! 

Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake

I’ve done my fair share of blueberry desserts but I’ve always wanted to do a cake with an outrageous amount of blueberries in it. As in, BURSTING with blueberries. Not just studded. I dreamed of a blueberry crumble, except in cake form. (Yes, these are the thoughts that occupy my mind at night).

The question really was just how much blueberries I could bake into a cake without weighing down the sponge so much it became dense.

I peaked out at 500g (1lb). That’s almost double the typical amount used in most Blueberry Crumb Cakes.

And with extra blueberries comes extra streusel, that crumbly crunchy caramel top. I guess sometimes dreams can come true!!

Ingredients in Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake

Here’s what you need to make this.

The blueberries

The blueberries are tossed in a little flour and sugar so it forms a jam-like layer that mostly suspends on the surface of the cake. The lemon is used to provide wetness to make some of the flour stick to the blueberries.

You will find that not all the flour sticks to the blueberries. Be sure to scatter it all across the blueberry layer. We need the full 3 tablespoons of flour to ensure the blueberries don’t sink. Initial versions of the cake only used 1 tablespoon and the blueberries dispersed a little too much for my liking.

Frozen blueberries will work too! Use frozen because they bleed a lot when thawed.

The Crumb Topping

This is called a streusel in baking. It’s a mixture made with flour, sugar and butter combined to make a lumpy mixture that is used to add a terrific crunchy topping on the surface of cakes, muffins, bars etc.

No unusual players here. The only one worth noting is sugar. I prefer using caster sugar (superfine sugar) because the grains are finer so I can be confident that I won’t end up with sugar grains in the streusel. However, if you don’t have it, just substitute with regular sugar.

Lemon Cake

The Lemon Cake is adapted from the batter I use for my classic blueberry yogurt cake. However, the batter is a little sturdier built to withstand the combined 700g / 1.4lb of blueberries and streusel that we pile on top and still come out lovely and springy at the end.

PS I know that 700g/1.4 lb sounds like an insane amount of blueberries and streusel, but we do lose weight in liquid evaporation as it bakes.

• Flour – just plain / all purpose flour. It’s best to use plain flour and add baking powder rather than self raising flour. Cakes just never rise as well.

• Baking powder – This is what makes the cake rise. If yours is old, it’s best to check it’s still active! 

• Sour cream – This helps make the sponge lovely and moist because it adds wetness into the batter but it’s thicker than milk. So we can use less flour for the same volume of batter. Ensure the sour cream is at room temperature, ie not fridge cold, else it will not incorporate properly into the batter (eg it can make the melted butter solidfy. Yup, been there, done that!).

• Milk – Full fat is best though low fat will work fine too. As with the sour cream, ensure it’s not fridge cold. Take it out 30 minutes prior, or microwave for 10 seconds.

• Eggs –  Use large eggs which are ~55 – 60g / 2 oz each (they come in cartons labelled “large eggs”) at room temperature. See here for what this means, and a quick way to de-chill fridge cold eggs!

• Melted butter – Once melted, let it cool for a bit. It can still be warm, we just don’t want it to be super hot.

• Lemon zest – Zest the lemon before you squeeze out juice to coat the blueberries! It’s impossible to properly zest a lemon once it’s been squeeze of juice. We only use the zest because it adds lovely lemon flavour. The juice, on the other hand, mainly just adds sourness.

• Vanilla extract – Better flavour than imitation vanilla essence. I personally don’t use vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste in cakes because I think it’s wasted. Save it for things like Crème Brûlée and Flan Pâtissier!

• Salt – Just a touch, to bring out the other flavours in the cake. Standard baking practice these days.

How to make Blueberry Crumb Cake

Streusel first (it’s a quick mix), then toss the blueberries, then make the batter last.

1. How to make Streusel

1. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt). Then add the melted butter and vanilla, and mix using a fork just until all the flour is wet but the mixture is still clumpy.

2. This is what you’re after. Lots and lots of lumps!

2. zest lemon fiRst, then toss the blueberries

1. Zest the lemon then keep it for the batter. Do this before juicing the lemon for the blueberries because it’s impossible to zest a lemon that’s been squeezed of juice!

2. Toss the blueberries in lemon juice first to wet the surface. Then toss with the flour and sugar. Then set aside until required.

3. The lemon cake batter

1. Line a 20cm / 8” springform cake pan with baking / parchment paper. See here for my easy way of doing it – no pencil required!

   It needs to be a springform pan so the cake can be removed without inverting (which would cause the crumbly topping to fall off!)

2. Whisk dry – Whisk the dry ingredient in a bowl (flour, baking powder and salt).

3. Whisk wet – Then in a larger bowl, give the sugar, vanilla, zest and eggs a good whisk for about 15 seconds until the surface is a bit foamy. Add the melted warm-not-hot butter and sour cream, then whisk until smooth. 

4. Add flour in 3 batches – Add one third of the flour then use a rubber spatula to fold it through. Once mostly incorporated, add half the remaining flour, fold through, then the remaining flour and fold through.

5. Milk last – When you can no longer see flour, add the milk and mix until incorporated. If you see tiny bits in the batter, it will be the zest not flour lumps! 

6. Batter thickness – This is what your batter should look like. Pourable but not super thin like my Chocolate Cake and not super thick like a muffin batter.

4. ASSEMBLING AND BAKING

1. Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the surface.

2. Top with blueberries. For the most even spread, start from the outer edge then work your way in. If you start in the middle, the weight of the blueberries pushes the batter out and up the walls of the pan. But, don’t get too hung up on this step! This is a rustic cake, and the blueberry layer is always a bit of a pot-luck situation in terms of spottiness / jammy patches / how neat the line is (it is not, ever!).

3. Use residual flour – Make sure you tip the residual flour and sugar at the bottom of the blueberry bowl over the blueberries. We need all the flour to ensure the blueberries don’t sink (I had problems when I used slightly less flour). 

4. Streusel – Then cover the top with the streusel, using your fingers to make nice big lumps across the surface. Aim for around 85% coverage – it’s nice to have some jammy blueberries peeking through the golden brown crumbly topping!

   TIP: If you have powdery streusel at the bottom of the bowl, just clench a pile of it in your fist to make it clump together. Then break up into clumps and scatter! 

5. Bake for 65 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced), rotating halfway to ensure the streusel browns evenly. 

   Note on oven temperature: it’s a little higher than the usual temperature for baking cakes because the blueberries and streusel add a thick protection layer so we need an extra blast of heat to cook the cake through. At the typical 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), the cake was taking 75 – 80 minutes and the sponge rose a smidge less.

6. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan to give it a chance to stabilise. Then unclip the sides and use a spatula to slide the cake onto a cooling rack. Cool for a further 10 minutes before slicing to serve warm (so the ice cream melts!), or fully cool and serve at room temperature.

Warm vs room temperature serving

If you want to be a normal, this cake can be served at room temperature, with optional ice cream or whipped cream on the side. That’s the normal way Crumb Cakes are served. It is delicious and the way this cake was originally intended to be.

But, for the ultimate Blueberry Crumb Cake experience, serve it warm with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream on top. It is just such a comforting combination – the warm blueberries that burst in your mouth mingling with the cool creamy ice cream, the crunchy bits of caramel-y streusel topping and the soft cake (which gets softer when warm!) with the hint of fresh lemon flavour.

I am firmly planted on the warm-serving side. Try it once, and I think you will be too! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake

Recipe video above. With almost double the blueberries of normal recipes and extra crunchy streusel topping, this Blueberry Crumb Cake is like a blueberry crumble on a soft, warm lemon cake. Melty scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is perfection!

Please ensure your eggs, sour cream and milk are not fridge cold as they will not incorporate into the batter properly.

Course Cake

Cuisine Western

Keyword blueberry cake, blueberry crumb cake, crumb cake

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 – 12

Calories 324cal

Author Goh

Ingredients

Crunch crumb (Streusel):

• 2/3 cups flour , plain/all-purpose
• ½ cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/8 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 60g / 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon vanilla cake:

• 1 1/3 cups flour , plain/all-purpose
• 2 tsp baking powder (if old, check it’s still active)
• 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 large eggs , at room temperature (what this means)
• 90 g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , melted then cooled slightly (don’t use piping hot)
• 1/3 cup sour cream , at room temperature (sub plain yogurt)
• 1/3 cup milk , at room temperature (full fat best, low fat ok)

Blueberries:

• 500 g / 1 lb fresh blueberries (Note 1 for frozen)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 3 tbsp flour , plain/all-purpose

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan-forced). Line a 20cm springform pan with paper (here's how I do it).
• Crumb – Put the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and mix together with a fork. Then add the butter and vanilla, and use the fork to mix until all the flour is wet, then stop mixing. We want it lumpy and crumbly!
• Zest the lemon first and put it aside for the batter before measuring out juice for the blueberry tossing.
• Blueberries – Toss the blueberries with lemon juice to wet the surface. Sprinkle with sugar and flour, toss to coat. Set aside.

Lemon vanilla cake:

• Whisk dry – Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
• Whisk wet – In a larger bowl, whisk the sugar, vanilla, zest and eggs until the surface is a bit foamy (~ 15 sec by hand). Add the butter and sour cream, whisk until smooth.
• Combine wet and dry – Switch to a rubber spatula. Add the flour in 3 batches, folding in between until the flour is mostly incorporated. Then add the milk and stir until combined. Some small lumps is ok!
• Assembling – Pour the batter into the pan. Scatter blueberries on top. Sprinkle any leftover flour at the bottom of the blueberry bowl on top of the blueberries. Cover with chunks of crumb, aiming for ~85% coverage. If necessary, enclose powdery bits in your fist to press them into clumps!
• Bake for 65 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (blueberry smear is ok!).
• Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Remove the cake from the springform pan then cool for at least another 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
• Serving – For the best blueberry crumble-cake experience, serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Otherwise, be normal and serve it at room temperature. Ice cream or cream also welcome here.

Notes

1. Frozen blueberries can be used too. Don’t thaw! Toss with the flour & sugar just before using (if you do it before making the batter it will start to melt). It will take an extra 10 minutes to bake. If the top starts to get overly brown, just cover with foil.

2.  Pan – Best to use a springform pan else you will lose streusel topping when inverting out of a standard cake pan.

3. Storage – Cake will keep for 5 days in the fridge. But always bring to room temp before serving, though best to serve slightly warm! If it’s quite cool where you are it will keep in the pantry too, in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 324cal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 426IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

Me: in Brisbane, at the final Good Food & Wine Show for the year. Dozer: at the Golden Retriever Boarders’ house. She’s always a little offended because Dozer gives her husband a more enthusiastic greeting than she gets. 

She is a vegetarian. Her husband is a carnivore. Dozer is not subtle.

This is a photo she sent me yesterday of Dozer waiting at the gate to greet her husband when got home from work! 

The post Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Pumpkin makes cakes soft and tender with a glowing orange colour in a way nothing else can! This Pumpkin Cake is perfectly spiced and comes with a tangy cream cheese frosting. The only thing that could make it better? Maple syrup. So I added it!

Pumpkin cake

This is a pumpkin cake recipe for people who want:

• an easy, foolproof recipe (just wait until you see how simple it is!);

• a cake with excellent pumpkinness* that’s not overwhelmed by the use of excessive store-bought spice mixes;

• a crumb that’s springy, soft and moist, rather than tight/dense or airy/delicate (like angel cake);

• a big cake to feed lots of people without the deft required to cut tall layer cakes into 16 tiny slivers; and

• a cake with excellent frosting-to-cake ratio. Specifically, a cream cheese maple frosting. A dreamy combination with pumpkin!

So if all that sounds good to you, read on!

* I am not sure that’s a word but it seems fitting here.

Ingredients in Pumpkin Cake

Here’s what you need to make this cake.

Pumpkin puree options

I use fresh because it tastes better and takes 8 seconds to puree. Plus, canned pumpkin isn’t readily available here in Australia. But canned works perfectly fine!

Canned pumpkin is a convenient option if you can get it and it works perfectly for this cake. But if you use pureed fresh pumpkin, you’ll be rewarded with a better tasting cake! It’s just a plain fact that freshly cooked pumpkin tastes better than something that’s been sitting in a can for months / years. Yes, we made and compared them side by side.

Use what works for you!

To make your own pumpkin puree, just boil chunks of pumpkin for 10 minutes or until very tender. Then blitz – it literally takes 8 seconds.

Pumpkin cake batter

Here are the other ingredient you need for the batter:

• Flour – Plain / all-purpose flour. Self raising flour (also called self-rising flour) will work but it won’t rise as much. I haven’t tried this cake with gluten-free flour.

• Oil – Any neutral flavoured oil like canola and vegetable oil. Using oil instead of butter keeps this cake moist. Why? Because butter firms up at room temperature whereas oil does not. So cakes made with oil are more moist. However, the trade-off is that butter tastes better than oil. In this cake, we’ve got other flavours at play here – the pumpkin and cinnamon. So I don’t miss the butter!

• Baking powder – This is what makes the cake rise. As a side note, the original version of this cake used a combination of baking soda and baking powder. However, over the years, I’ve found that using only baking powder gives the cake a softer crumb. Plus, we cut out one ingredients.

• Cinnamon – Flavour! Classic combination with pumpkin.

• Sugar – Regular white sugar, or caster sugar / superfine sugar.

• Large eggs at room temperature, which means eggs that are 55-60g/2oz each sold in cartons labelled “large eggs”. They need to be at room temperature, not fridge cold, so they blend into the ingredients better. More information on the right eggs for baking here!

• Salt – Just a touch, to bring out the other flavours in this cake. Standard baking practice these days.

Cream cheese frosting

There is no better frosting for pumpkin cake! Here’s what you need:

• Cream cheese – use BLOCK, not the spreadable cream cheese in tubs (too soft). If you can only get the spreadable cream cheese, add extra icing sugar to correct the consistency.

• Softened unsalted butter – softened but not super soft / borderline melting.

• Icing sugar aka powdered sugar – 🇦🇺 Australia, use soft icing sugar, NOT pure icing sugar (which is used for things like royal icing ie sets hard).

• Vanilla extract – For flavour.

• Maple syrup – UGH, forgot to put it in the photo! This is for drizzling on top. I wanted to put it in the frosting but it made the frosting too loose.

How to make Pumpkin Cake

WHY CAN’T ALL CAKES BE THIS EASY???!!

1. Whisk wet – Whisk the eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin puree.

2. Add dry – Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt then whisk until combined. Batter. Done!

3. Bake in a 23 x 33 / 13 x 9″ lined pan (or thereabouts) at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced) for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. See the video for my easy way to line the pan!

4. Frosting – While the cake is cooling, make the frosting! Just beat the cream cheese and butter for a minute on high until creamy. Then add the icing sugar (powdered sugar) in 3 batches, starting the beater on low to avoid a snowstorm. Once it’s incorporated, crank the beater up to high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until the frosting is fluffy!

5. Slather the frosting on the cooled cake, and use the back of a spoon to make swirly dents for maple syrup to pool in.

6. Drizzle with maple syrup, as much as you want / dare, then sprinkle liberally with roughly chopped pecans.

And now it’s time to dig in!

Making this cake might be the best decision you make in October. It’s totally straight forward. Your kitchen will smell amazing. It’s big enough to share with those you deem worthy.

And that moment when you take the first bite of that soft cake loaded with beautiful pumpkin flavour, mingling with that tangy cream cheese frosting mixed with rivers of maple syrup and the littering of soft pecans….

I challenge you to stop at one piece. (Even if you cut yourself a very, very big one). – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Fresh or canned pumpkin? I’m in the fresh camp!

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Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe video above. Beautiful moist pumpkin cake with maple cream cheese frosting! A very easy, very forgiving recipe. Nothing gives cakes colour, texture and flavour like pumpkin!

Makes a generous amount of fluffy frosting. Feel free to reduce – some reduces have cut by half!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Western

Keyword pumpkin cake

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 12 – 20

Calories 431cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Pumpkin puree options

• 1 2/3 cups fresh pumpkin puree , I use this (Note 1)
• 15 oz / 425g canned pure pumpkin , 1 can (Note 1)

Other cake batter ingredients

• 4 large eggs 55-60g/2oz each), at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups white sugar (or caster/superfine sugar, Note 2)
• 1 cup vegetable or canola oil (or other neutral flavoured oil)
• 2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp cooking / kosher salt (Note 3)

Frosting

• 6 oz / 180g cream cheese block, at room temperature (Note 4)
• 1 cup / 225g unsalted butter , softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (Note 5)

Finishing

• 1/3 – 1/2 cup maple syrup (don't be shy!)
• 1/2 cup pecans , roughly chopped

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Spray and line a large pan around 9 x 13" / 23 x 33cm with baking paper with overhang. (Note 6)
• Batter – In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Bake – Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack to cool completely (~ 2 hours) before frosting.
• Frosting – Spread frosting on then use the back of a spoon to make swirly dents. Drizzle over maple syrup, concentrating on the dents to create maple syrup pools! Sprinkle with pecans. Then serve.

Frosting

• Cream butter – Place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
• Add the icing sugar in 3 batches, starting the beater on low after each addition to avoid a snowstorm. Once incorporated, turn the beater up to high and beat for 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Use frosting immediately.

Notes

1. Using pureed fresh pumpkin makes a cake with better pumpkin flavour. Use 800g – 1kg / 1.6 – 2 lb pumpkin. Peel, remove seeds, cut into large chunks. Put in boiling water and cook for 10 minutes or until very soft. Drain, leave in colander set over the hot pot on the turned off stove to steam dry and fully cool (around 30 minutes). Then blitz to puree (I use a stick blender) and measure out 1 2/3 cups (400g) and use per recipe.

Canned pumpkin is a popular canned vegetable product in America. You can sometimes find it in the international section of stores that carry American goods. It’s actually very good – it’s just pure pureed pumpkin.While I’d never use some canned vegetable products, I’ll happily use canned pumpkin.

2. Sugar – This can be cut down to 1 1/4 cups if you’d like it slightly less sweet.

3. Salt – I know this looks like a lot but it really brings out the pumpkin flavour in this cake. Be sure to use cooking / kosher salt (coarse salt in the UK). If you only have table salt then reduce to 1/2 teaspoon.

4. Cream cheese – If you can only find the spreadable tub sort which is softer, you’ll likely need to add more icing sugar.

5. Icing sugar – Australia, be sure to use soft icing sugar not pure icing sugar (which sets hard).

6. Cake shape – This cake is so moist and extremely versatile. Make it as a round cake, bundt cake, loaf pan, muffins (25 min).

7. Recipe source – A fantastic recipe received back in 2016 from a regular reader, the wonderful Dorothy from Tennessee!

8. Storage – This cake will stay fresh for 5 days in the fridge. Bring to room temp before serving.

Nutrition assuming 16 servings, including frosting.

Nutrition

Serving: 116g | Calories: 431cal | Carbohydrates: 52.3g | Protein: 3.4g | Fat: 24.3g | Saturated Fat: 10.2g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 348mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 3750IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Originally published in November 2016. Recipe slightly improved (I now only use baking powder as I find it makes the cake rise more evenly), recipe writing improved (I’ve come a long way in 7 years!), sparkling new photos and a brand new video with me IN it!

More pumpkin recipes

Maple Roasted Pumpkin with Chili and Feta

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Soup

Honey-Cinnamon Pumpkin Lentil Salad

Easy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce

Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad

Pumpkin recipes

Life of Dozer

Today – visiting a local community garden just a few minutes from home called Happy Hens. What an extraordinary oasis! 100% volunteer run in a beautiful location by the water, filled with an abundance of herbs and vegetables. Everyone is welcome – so locals, drop by to see it and say g’day! Might even see you there. ~ Nagi & Dozer xx

And from the original publication date in 2016:

a) Cruel
b) Cute
c) Funny
d) All of the above

The post Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

The iconic Basque Cheesecake has landed! With a mousse-like creamy vanilla texture and gorgeous golden “burnt” surface, the flavours remind me of créme caramel. You’ll be amazed how easy this recipe is (she says, 25 versions later 😅).

Basque cheesecake

The next time you want to make a cake that really stands out, make this Basque Cheesecake. Sure, people ooh and aah over the appearance. That golden surface, after all, screams look at me!

And you’ll get street cred for making something that’s on-trend. Though, I’m a few years late. Everybody knows I’m not cool enough to keep up with food trends. 😂

But it’s the eating part that really blows everyone away. Beautifully light and airy inside, almost like mousse. Just sweet enough, tastes luxurious yet not at all rich.

And of course, there’s the “burnt” surface, with the distinct caramel flavour. Combined with the vanilla cheesecake underneath, the flavour reminds me of créme caramel. It’s to-die for!

Ingredients

There’s very few ingredients in Basque Cheesecake. Making a great one comes down to technique!

• Cream cheese – Philadelphia is my go-to, but we made this with a variety of brands (including most economical) and it still worked great. Tub spreadable cream cheese also works, albeit the inside is marginally more creamy (some would find it even more appealing!) But DO NOT USE LOW FAT! Won’t set properly.

• Measuring the eggs – This recipe calls for 220g / 200 ml / 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of whisked eggs which is 4 to 5 large eggs. Yes, I really need you to measure the eggs for this recipe, because those selfish chickens, they just won’t lay the same size eggs every time! And using the right amount really matters for the best outcome with this recipe. Too little, and the cheesecake won’t set. Too much, and it gets denser.

  I rarely ask this in cakes – only when it matters. So please measure the eggs! Crack, whisk, measure.

• Whipping cream – Make sure you use cream that can be whipped. Not all creams are, some are made for just pouring or dolloping. Read the label to check. And – NO LOW FAT!

  The recipe calls for you to take it out of the fridge 15 minutes prior to use. This is to take the fridge chill out of it slightly, so it incorporates better with the other ingredients.

• Flour – This stabilises the filling so it stays aerated and fluffy once baked. We use the minimum amount possible – too much flour makes the filling drier.

• Vanilla – Use vanilla extract or bean paste. Imitation vanilla flavour is not as good because it’s….well, it’s imitation.

• Sugar – Caster / superfine sugar is best here as the grains are finer so it dissolves more easily. However, regular sugar can be used too.

How to make Basque Cheesecake

Basic recipes will have you just dump everything into a bowl and mix. Easier. But the inside is not as light and airy, as Basque Cheesecake should be!

Lining the pan

1. Scrunch up baking / parchment paper in your hands. This makes it easier to press and stay in the pan as well as creating the signature rustic sides on the cheesecake.

2. Fit the paper into the cake pan. There’s no need to grease the pan to make the paper stick, just fit it in – the batter will weight it down. Press the paper into the corners of the pan and fold the sides down over the rim.

   Don’t be tempted to try to make the cheesecake sides smooth by lining the cake pan the traditional way with flat strips of paper! The crumpled paper actually keeps the sides of the cheesecake from overcooking as it’s not fully pressed against the pan walls. Flat paper = thicker band of drier cheesecake. Tried and tested!

Basque cheesecake batter

No tricky steps here! The method is designed specifically to achieve an incredible delicate, “mousse-like” texture that you get with the very best traditional Basque Cheesecakes.

Use a handheld electric beater or stand mixer with the paddle attachment. I personally prefer hand-held beater because the beating times are pretty short, and you can move it around which means less scraping down sides.

1. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Then beat in the sugar, just until incorporated.

2. Cream and flour – In a separate bowl, using a handheld whisk, whisk the flour with about 1/4 of the cream until it’s lump free. It will become paste-like. ⚠️Don’t add too much cream at the beginning otherwise it’s impossible to whisk in the flour without lumps!

3. Then whisk in the remaining cream and vanilla. Just whisk until mixed in. We’re not making whipped cream here!

4. Pour the cream mixture into the cream cheese while beating on low speed.

5. Pour slowly whisked eggs into the mixture while beating on low speed. ⚠️Stop beating as soon as the eggs are incorporated to minimise bubbles in the batter. This leads to unsightly blemishes on the cake surface! (Just visual, so not the end of the world).

6. Batter thickness – This is the thickness of the batter. Pourable but thick and silky!

Baking and cooling

Bake until the surface is deeply caramelised but not burnt. The baking times will vary from oven to oven, but the inside will be the same light and airy whether it takes 45 minutes (my oven) or 65 minutes (JB’s oven). We checked this multiple times because we couldn’t believe our eyes!

1. Bubble popping – For a lovely blemish free surface, bang the pan on the counter to make bubbles rise to the surface. Then pop the bubbles with a small sharp knife. Repeat 2 or 3 times. This is for visuals only, it’s not a big deal!

2. Bake for 45 minutes in a hot 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan-forced), or until the surface is a deep golden brown. Keep a close eye on it for the last 15 minutes. There’s a fine line between “deeply caramelised” and “burnt”. Don’t fall on the wrong side of the line!

   ⚠️ Bake time variations – With the many versions we tested, we found that the bake time can vary wildly between ovens. With most ovens, it takes 45 minutes. But in other ovens, it was taking as long as 65 minutes for the surface to become golden – and that’s ok! The inside will still be creamy. This was an incredible observation from the many versions we made. This cheesecake batter is extremely forgiving!

3. This is the colour we’re aiming for. Very deep golden brown but not actually burnt on the edges. And a little paler in the middle. The centre should be jiggly like soft jelly! If it’s not wobbly, it’s overcooked = dry cheesecake = 😭 The jiggly centre will firm up once refrigerated.

4. Rise & fall – As it bakes, the cheesecake rises dramatically like a soufflé. It even rises above the rim of a 6cm / 2.5″ cake pan! But don’t get too excited because as it cools, it collapses….

5. Collapsed – And here it is once cool. The crater is totally normal.

6. Cool – Let the cheesecake cool on the counter for a couple of hours. Then refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

   I refrigerate uncovered because even the smallest amount of residual heat left in the centre of the cheesecake will cause condensation which will drip and blemish the beautiful bronzed surface.

Once the cheesecake has been refrigerated, it’s time to EAT!!

Matters of serving

I like to serve Basque Cheesecake on the paper because it looks rustic, the classic Basque Cheesecake look.

But you can absolutely do a neater presentation and transfer to a cake platter without the paper. Once refrigerated overnight, so it’s easy to handle.

It cuts into neat slices, so serve it like cake. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean between each cut. You can dip into a jug of warm water, if you like, but it will smear the cut face. I personally prefer the “sponge-like” look so I just wipe the knife clean.

As for what to serve Basque Cheesecake with? Absolutely nothing. No cream, no berries, no coulis, no sauce. It doesn’t need it. Enjoy every bite plain, and if you don’t sigh with satisfaction, you must be made of stone. – Nagi x

RECIPE CREDITS

Iconic recipes like today’s Basque Cheese are often the result of a collective team effort, and I just want to take a moment to thank those involved. Because it was a difficult one!!

Many thanks to Jennifer Pogmore, French pastry Chef extraordinaire, who has found herself in the unlikely position as my baking mentor. Located in France, we work online together, experimenting and developing recipes. She is exceptionally talented, classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu where she subsequently returned as a teacher after years of working in Parisian pastry boutiques.

I feel very fortunate that our paths crossed! Much of the groundwork on what makes a perfect Basque Cake is attributed to Jennifer, drawing on her experience from her time in the Basque Country.

The recipe was then picked up by JB and I who then took it through its paces here in Sydney. Collectively, we made at least 25 versions of Basque Cheesecake, testing various iterations.

Why am I so extreme with the testing? Because this is such an iconic, traditional Spanish recipe, we want to do it well. This Basque Cheesecake recipe really does work as promised, and it is truly excellent, because we would not settle for anything less! I hope you love it as much as we do. ~Nagi, JB and Jennifer

Watch how to make it

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Basque Cheesecake

Recipe video above. This is the iconic Burnt Basque Cheesecake, in all its rustic perfection with the signature golden "burnt" surface that tastes like caramel, and light-as-air creamy vanilla cheesecake inside. Stunningly luscious yet light, and not that sweet at all!

The surface becomes golden by baking at a higher temp than classic baked cheesecakes – 160C/320F vs 220°C/425°F for Basque.

This recipe is not a basic "dump and beat" recipe, but the result is better. Texture is fluffier, as it should be, with no thick band of dry overcooked cheesecake (notorious problem!). Use a handheld electric beater or stand mixer with the paddle attachment. See Note 5 about speeds.

Course Sweet Baking

Cuisine Basque country, Spain

Keyword basque cheesecake, burnt basque cheesecake

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Cooling / chilling 8 hours hours

Servings 12

Calories 398cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 750 g / 1.5 lb cream cheese blocks , room temperature (I use Philadelphia, Note 1)
• 1 cup caster / superfine sugar (regular white sugar ok too)
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream , take out of fridge 15 minutes prior (Note 2)
• 1/4 cup flour , plain/all-purpose
• 1 tsp vanilla bean extract or paste
• 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp lightly whisked eggs , at room temperature, ~4-5 large eggs (yes, I need you to measure! Note 3)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• See below for full length written recipe. Shorthand recipe is for experienced bakers.
  

Shorthand recipe

• Prep – Preheat oven to 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan) with the shelf in the middle. Press scrunched paper into 20cm/8" springform pan.
• Batter – Beat cream cheese 2 minutes on medium. Beat in sugar on low speed for 10 seconds. In separate bowl, hand whisk 1/4 cup cream with the flour (becomes like paste). Whisk in remaining cream and vanilla. While beating on low, slowly pour cream into cream cheese, then eggs (don't overbeat).
• Bake – Pour into pan, bang pan on counter, pop bubbles with knife. Bake 45 min (up to 65 min possible, Note 8) until top deep golden. Cool 2 hrs on counter then 8 hrs+ in fridge uncovered. Ready for serving!
  

Full instructions recipe

• Preheat oven to 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan) with the shelf in the middle of the oven.
• Pan prep (Note 4) – Press 2 x 40cm/16" sheets of scrunched up baking/parchment paper arranged in an "X" into a 20cm/8" springform pan (6cm / 2.5" tall), and fold down over the rim to hold in place. You'll need to scrunch/pleat to fit which creates the signature rustic sides! The batter will weigh it down so don't worry if it doesn't stay in.
• Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until smooth and lump-free. Add sugar and beat on low speed for 10 seconds.
• Flour & cream (Note 6) – Put about 1/4 of the cream and all the flour in a medium bowl. Hand whisk until lump free (it will be paste-like), then slowly pour in the remaining cream while whisking. Once flour is incorporated, whisk in vanilla. (PS not making whipped cream here! Should be pourable)
• Slowly pour the cream into the cream cheese bowl with the beater going on low. Beat just until combined. Then slowly pour the eggs in while the beater is still on low speed. As soon as the eggs are incorporated, stop beating to minimise getting bubbles in the batter (Note 7).
• Remove air bubbles – Pour into the prepared pan. Bang the pan on the counter then pop bubbles that rise to the surface with a small sharp knife. I do repeat 3 to 5 times. (Note 7)
• Bake 45 minutes or until the surface is a deep golden brown. It can take up to 65 minutes and that's fine! (Seriously, read Note 8) Keep a close eye on it for the last 15 minutes, you want it deeply golden but not burnt. The centre will still be wobbly and the cake will rise like a soufflé.
• Chill overnight – Cool in the cake pan for at least 2 hours on the counter (it will sink, that's normal). Then refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, uncovered.
• Serving – Release the sides of the springform pan. Hold excess paper overhang to lift off base onto a cutting board or plate. Fold down sides – I love serving it on the paper, it's part of the visuals! Bring to room temp for 30 minutes if time permits, though also great served chilled. Cut like cake! Eat as is – doesn't need cream, berries etc.

Notes

1. Cream cheese – 3 x 250g/8oz blocks. Philadelphia is my go-to, but we made this with a variety of brands (including most economical) and it still worked great. Tub spreadable cream cheese also works, albeit the inside is marginally more creamy (some would find it even more appealing!) But DO NOT USE LOW FAT! Won’t set properly.

2. Whipping cream – Make sure you use cream that can be whipped. Not all creams are. Read the label. And again, NO LOW FAT! Taking it out of the fridge prior to use is to de-chill slightly so it incorporates better with the other ingredients.

3. Measuring the eggs – Yes, I really need you to measure the eggs for this recipe, because selfish chickens just won’t lay the same size eggs every time. I rarely ask this in cakes – only when it matters! (PS Eggs are slightly lighter than water so 220g eggs = 200 ml).

4. Pan & lining – Don’t get too hung up about the paper, the batter will weigh it down. Scrunch paper in your fist, makes it easier to fit into pan and you get the signature nubbly sides. Fit into corners as best you can – sometimes I use cans to mould in while I make filling. Also prevents side from overcooking (because side is not in full contact with pan). Don’t grease the pan – conducts heat and the sides will get too brown. 

No springform pan? It’s ok, just use a slightly larger paper so you can lift the cake out of your regular 20cm/8″ cake pan (6cm / 2.5″ high).

5. Beater speeds: Low = lowest speed, medium = halfway (eg speed 5 of 10), medium high = 3/4 of the way (eg speed7 of 10).

6. Cream & flour – Be careful not to pour in too much cream at the beginning else you’ll get pesky flour lumps.

7. Air bubbles in batter = browned lumps on surface of cooked cake. It’s just a visual thing, totally not a big deal. Almost always have some bubbles on the surface

8. Baking time – Go by surface colour to tell when it’s done. The bake time differs from 45 minutes to 65 minutes depending on oven brands. Mine is a Miele (45 min), JB‘s Westinghouse takes 65 min. End result is the same, both surface colour and creaminess of inside. It’s extraordinary! We tested this quite extensively because we found it hard to believe ourselves.

9. Leftovers will keep for 5 days in the fridge. Flavour gets even better on Day 2 and beyond! Not suitable for  freezing.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 12 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 398cal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 1283IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Life of Dozer

Promised look at the kitchen of the Air BNB I stayed at on the Colo River in a rural area just 90 minutes north of Sydney! Gorgeous. This is the sort of kitchen that speaks to me! Character – but with a killer stove and oven and a big sink. Yes!

Not a bad view while doing the dishes.

The post Basque Cheesecake appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake – think of this as a sliceable version of Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding – with a LOT more chocolate fudge sauce! The perfect cosy dessert for cool winter days that’s easy to make.

The chocolate cake of your dreams…

I know this is a great dessert for sweater weather. But holy moly. It’s so good, I’ll wager that after you’ve made it once, you’ll make it over and over again regardless of the weather.

Let me paint the picture for you. A warm slice of soft chocolate cake, moist in a way that cakes can only be when warm. A scoop of melty vanilla ice cream on top.

Then you douse – douse, my friends! – with hot chocolate fudge sauce. The ice cream starts to melt, and you get beautiful swirls of chocolate with white streaks pooling around your cake. You dig in with a spoon, getting a big scoop of cake soaked with the chocolate sauce and melted ice cream, and that first bite, that first glorious bite…..

Knees. WEAK.

Did I mention how easy this Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake is to me? The batter is made in a single bowl with a wooden spoon. And that fudge sauce is 2 ingredients – just cream and chocolate.

Ingredients in Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake

Here’s what you need to make this winter dessert. The recipe is based on my classic Chocolate Cake, with some minor adjustments to make it suitable for serving hot as a single layer, unfrosted cake.

Dry ingredients for the warm chocolate cake

• Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. Self raising flour will also work but the cake crumb is not as soft. (Skip the baking soda and baking powder if you use self-raising flour).

• Baking soda (bi-carb) and baking powder, or use more of either – Both of these makes cakes, muffins etc rise but work differently depending on what you’re making. Baking soda is also ~3x stronger than baking powder. I like using a combination of the two for this cake for a lovely tender crumb and nice shape to the surface of the cake. However, if you only have one or the other, you can use more of what you have. See recipe notes for quantities.

• Cocoa powder – Just plain cocoa powder, unsweetened. Not dutch processed – though you can use it if you’ve got this more expensive, more intense type.

• White sugar – Use caster sugar / superfine sugar if you’ve got it, because it’s finer so you can be confident it dissolves easily. Else ordinary white sugar / granulated sugar works ok too.

• Salt – Just a pinch brings out the flavours in this cake, especially the chocolate. Fairly standard baking practice for me these days, adding a touch of salt for this purpose!

Wet ingredients

And here are the wet ingredients in this cake:

• Melted butter AND oil – Butter adds flavour into this cake while oil keeps the crumb fresh and moist for longer. Using both gives us the best of both worlds!

• Egg – 1 large egg which means an egg that is sold in cartons labelled “large eggs” which is an industry standard. It is also best to be at room temperature – see this post for a quick way to do this.

• Vanilla – For flavour, which compliments the chocolate.

• Boiling water – Using hot rather than cold water makes the cocoa flavour “bloom” so the cake tastes more chocolatey. You’ll smell the chocolate the moment the hot water mixes into the batter!

No coffee? Some chocolate cakes include a touch of coffee which brings out the chocolate flavour. I tried it but it didn’t add anything to this cake because you get so much chocolate flavour from the hot fudge sauce!

Hot chocolate fudge sauce

Fudge sauce comes in many forms – some made with cocoa powder and evaporated milk, some with melted chocolate, some a combination of the two. The hot fudge sauce for this cake is the most luxurious of its kind – pourable chocolate ganache that’s made with just chocolate and cream.

The ratio of chocolate to cream is 1:1 for ganache. However, as I want the sauce to be slightly thicker when warm, I’ve increased the chocolate slightly so it’s 1/ 1/4 cups of chocolate (200g) to 1 cup / 250ml of cream.

• Dark chocolate – I use standard baking dark chocolate melts or chips (US: semi-sweet chocolate chips). You can also use chopped 50 – 70% dark chocolate (Lindt is my favourite).

  Chocolate melts are just a type of chocolate chips that is available here in Australia. It comes in a disc shape and is designed to melt easily and smoothly. Whereas chocolate chips, while they can also be used for melting, are designed specifically to hold their shape for your favourite chocolate chip cookies rather than melting into puddles.

  Milk and white chocolate – These will work but you will need to reduce the amount of cream slightly else the fudge sauce will be too runny. This is because they are softer than dark chocolate. Fellow baking nerds can read more about this in my Chocolate Ganache recipe!

• Cream – Either heavy / thickened cream or pure cream will work here. Full fat essential. Reduced fat doesn’t always mix properly into the chocolate and also the sauce will be too thin.

How to make Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake

Get the cake in the oven first. Then make the chocolate fudge sauce – it will need 20 to 30 minutes to cool a bit to allow it to thicken slightly before using.

1. Making the hot fudge cake

Just mixed up in one bowl with a whisk. No stand-mixer or electric beater required. This is a very forgiving cake. Just be sure to get it in the oven as soon as you mix the batter, don’t leave it lying around.

1. Mix Dry – Whisk the Dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Add Wet – Add the Wet ingredients, except the boiling water, into the same bowl.

3. Whisk until combined. Then whisk the boiling water in. The batter will be pretty thin – not as thin as the Chocolate Cake on which this recipe is based, but still pretty thin.

4. Pour the batter into a lined 20cm/8″ pan. It’s best not to use a springform pan to avoid any chance of batter leakage – because as noted above, the batter is fairly thin.

5. Bake for 40 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or nearly clean. Remember, we’re making a hot fudge cake here, so it’s fine if the centre is slightly damp!

6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn it out and let it cool for just another 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Don’t worry, the cake will still be lovely and warm! We just want to rest the cake a bit before slicing. Hot cake is very delicate!

2. Making the hot fudge sauce

While it’s tempting to just put both cold cream and chocolate in a bowl and microwave to melt, this can lead to the chocolate seizing so you end up with a lumpy mess in your hands. Yep, speaking from first hand experience here! Make ganache properly – by pouring hot cream over the chocolate and leaving it to melt before mixing to combine.

1. Pour hot cream over chocolate – Heat the cream until steamy and hot using whatever method you choose: saucepan or microwave. Then pour it over the chocolate in a bowl.

2. Full coverage! Shake the bowl / poke as needed to ensure all the chocolate is submerged.

3. 5 minutes – Cover with a plate and leave for 5 minutes so the cream melts the chocolate.

4. Mix until the cream and chocolate combine into a glossy chocolate sauce. Be patient – it will happen! If you have little chocolate lumps at the end, just pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds for a heat boost, then mix again.

5. Cool for 20 minutes to let the sauce thicken slightly. Just leave it in the bowl.

6. Serving – Give it a mix to make it smooth again. Then pour into serving jugs to let everyone help themselves. (Or, if you’re concerned about portion control, you can serve it!).

   Reheating and storage – The chocolate sauce will firm up to a peanut butter consistency when refrigerated but can simply be reheated in the microwave back to perfect pourable consistency. It will keep for at least a week – just bear in mind the shelf life of the cream.

3. Serving the hot fudge cake

To serve this gloriously cosy, decadent hot chocolate cake, cut slices of cake as generous as you want. Put on a plate – or a shallow bowl (for easy chocolate-sauce-melted-ice-cream scooping). Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream then douse with warm chocolate fudge sauce. Dive in and swoon!!

And 10 seconds later…..

Matters of storage

The cake has an excellent shelf life of 5 to 7 days in the fridge. It won’t go stale thanks to the smidge of oil we’re using, and also because it is intended to serve hot. Any baked good heated up wipes out any trace of staleness!

The fudge sauce can also be kept for at least 7 days, limited only by the shelf life of the cream. Keep it in the fridge – it will firm up to a peanut butter like consistency. Scoop out what you need, then just microwave to re-melt.

And PS, in case you’re concerned, there’s plenty of hot fudge sauce for serving. 2 whole cups, that’s 500 ml. Imagine running out of chocolate sauce! Devastating. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake

Recipe video above. Think of it as a sliceable version of Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding – with a LOT more chocolate fudge sauce! The perfect cosy dessert for cool winter days that's easy to make.

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine Western

Keyword chocolate dessert, easy dessert, hot chocolate fudge cake, winter dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Cooling 20 minutes minutes

Servings 10 – 12

Calories 421cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Dry:

• 1 cup plain/all-purpose flour (Note 2)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened), sifted (Note 1)30g
• 3/4 tsp baking powder (Note 2)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda/bi-carb (sifted if lumpy) (Note 2)
• 1 cup caster/superfine sugar (sub ordinary white sugar)
• 1/4 tsp salt

Wet:

• 1 large egg , at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk , full fat, at room temperature
• 75g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
• 1 tbsp oil (canola, veg or other neutral oil) – keeps cake moist for days
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Chocolate fudge sauce:

• 1 cup thickened / heavy cream, or pure cream (not low fat, too thin)
• 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate melts or chips (US: semi-sweet chips) – or finely chopped 60 – 70% cocoa chocolate block (Note 3)

Serving:

• Vanilla ice cream

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Grease a 20cm/8" cake pan with butter then line with paper.
• Whisk Dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add Wet – Then add all the Wet ingredients EXCEPT the boiling water. Whisk until combined. Then add the boiling water and whisk until smooth. The batter will be pretty thin.
• Bake 40 min – Pour into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out mostly clean – a faint smear of batter isn't a bad thing, we're making a fudge cake here!
• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate, then onto a cooling rack or plate right side up. Cool for a further 10 minutes – the cake will still be warm for serving.
• Serving – Cut slices of the warm cake. Top with a scoop of ice cream. Douse with fudge sauce – just shy of 1/4 cup per slice (10 slices). Eat and swoon!

Chocolate fudge sauce (makes 2 cups):

• Heat cream until hot, just before boiling point, using your method of choice – saucepan or microwave.
• Stand 5 min – Put chocolate in bowl. Pour over hot cream. Ensure all chocolate is submerged, then cover with a plate. Leave for 5 minutes.
• Mix – Using a whisk or rubber spatula, mix vigorously until the cream and chocolate combine into a silky chocolate sauce.
• Cool to thicken for 20 minutes. Give it a stir then pour into a jug for serving!

Notes

1. Cocoa powder – Dutch processed (darker and more expensive) will also work.

2. Baking soda (bi-carb) and baking powder – These both makes cakes rise in different ways depending on the recipe. For the best cake dome and soft crumb, I like using both for this cake. BUT you can use more of either – cake will still be soft and will rise.

– Just baking powder: use 3 teaspoons in total .
– Just baking soda: use 1 teaspoon in total

Self raising flour – Skip both the baking soda and baking powder, switch the plain flour with self raising flour. The crumb won’t rise quite as much but still fluffy and lovely!

3. Chocolate – Use chocolate intended for baking sold in the baking aisle, not eating chocolate (Lindt 70% is the exception). If using a block, chop it finely. Don’t use ordinary eating chocolate – it’s hit and miss. Some will melt fine, others do not. AUSTRALIA: “Melts” are intended for melting so are safest to use. However, chips will melt fine too. US: Semi-sweet chips are perfect for this.

4. Storage – Cake will keep for 5 – 7 days in the fridge (stays moist thanks to a touch of oil). Warm to serve. Fudge sauce will keep for at least a week – factor in the cream shelf life. Firms up in the fridge, just warm to melt. Both the cake and sauce can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 10 servings and all the sauce is consumed. Excludes ice cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 421cal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 163mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 592IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg

Life of Dozer

Busted, helping himself to the bin. He’s so gross! 😝 Probably rebelling because he was deprived of chocolate cake. No chocolate for dogs!

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