 Tonight was my second Clandestine Cake Club and the theme was chocolate! Could it get any better? You're right, I don't think so either. The biggest challenge of the evening was choosing a recipe - I mean Google Chocolate Cake Recipe and you'll get about 72,900,000 results! Who knew there were so many ways to make chocolate cake? Actually, I like to think of myself as a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to chocolate cake though. I can spot a drinking chocolate based cake a mile off and that cheap, waxy frosting just destroys your taste buds. If you're going to do something, then do it right. When I bake a chocolate cake, I love using proper melted chocolate in it, you just get a much deeper, fuller flavour and I think the cake is moister too. I've tried lots of recipes over the years and in truth it didn't feel exciting enough to do for the cake club. I wanted to do something a little different and that's why I chose this recipe... I had a similar cake when I was on holiday and loved it, so decided to search for a suitable recipe. I also wanted something a bit different that would stand out against the richer chocolate cakes. This one did not disappoint. It took forever to bake; but I got lots of work done while I was sitting waiting. I followed the recipe mainly - I used dark chocolate chips in it; but it was a little too dark for my taste, I think a sweeter milk chocolate would have been yummy. I also used brazil nuts instead of almonds on top and omitted the cocoa powder all together, choosing to decorate with these pretty chocolate stars I bought, to help bring the chocolate theme to life! There may even have been a little sprinkle of edible glitter, because life's just better with some sparkle!  The evening was held at Looses Cook Shop and Mum and I had fun wandering around the store. We've been wanting to go for ages so this was the perfect excuse and yes I was tempted to buy some bits and pieces - including a flower rolling pin that actually makes little indents on the rolled out icing. As well as some colouring for chocolate and a sheet of edible transfer that I have wanted to try for ages. I'll let you know how I get on. If you have any tips on using them, do let me know.
I thought that lots of people would do the really dark, gooey cakes and there were; but it was great because we got to try them all! Including a caramel and chocolate cake I'd seen on the BBC site that looked amazing, with four different layers of cake! It really was good; but all the cakes were so rich I couldn't manage much. We ended up brining a box home and I got to sample a little more while sitting in comfort watching The Newsroom. Like I said, it was the perfect night. |
 
Claire WadeI've finished my first novel while enjoying copious amounts of chocolate and cake. 
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