How easily influenced I am......

I am in love with this blog -  What Kate Ate.

I absolutely love the way she photographs the amazing food she cooks.

It always inspires me to want to cook more, which in turn makes me want to eat a hell of lot more and of course, take more and more photos.

If ever you take a little peek at Kate's world, you'll understand why I think this.

So I'm sure you can imagine that when I went wandering through her blog one day and saw her post for Chocolate Fudge Cake - I just had to make it, even though I am no fan of chocolate cake at all!  (Just shows how much a pretty picture can influence me!)

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Chocolate Fudge Cake

1 and ¼ cups self-raising flour, sifted | ½ cup caster sugar | ½ cup brown sugar | 4 tbsp butter, melted | ½ cup good quality cocoa | 1 tsp vanilla extract | 1 large tbsp blackberry jam, sieved and pips removed | 3 eggs | ½ cup of milk

Icing | 170g good quality 70% chocolate | 1 and ¼ cups of unsalted butter, room temperature | 1 and ¼ cups of icing sugar, sifted | 1 tsp vanilla extract | ½ tbsp pre-made instant coffee

 

  1. In a bowl, combine the cocoa, sugar, flour, vanilla, melted butter and jam. Add the eggs and milk then mix until batter is smooth.
  2. Place mixture into a round, greased tin and bake in a 160 C oven for 40 minutes or until cake is just cooked, remove from oven.
  3. After 10 mins turn onto wire rack and allow to cool. When cake is coo, slice in half horizontally to make two layers.
  4. For the icing - in a bowl beat the butter and the caster sugar until smooth and creamy.
  5. In a separate bowl melt the chocolate over a pan of lightly simmering water. Add the vanilla and coffee to the melted chocolate mixing together, it will start to go lumpy don’t worry, just add this to the butter and caster sugar mixture beating gently until glossy and smooth.
  6. Use a spatula to decorate the cake, spreading icing in between the layers.

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As I always say "Thank God for friends", as I took the cake along with me when I caught up with some friends for dinner one night while we watched the final of So You Think You Can Dance!

Yes, go ahead and mock me, I don't care!

Chit Chat ChompBaking2