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Hed Chef
Chocolate superior to sweet nothings
By Hedy Khoo
November 02, 2009
Clothes courtesy of River Island. Location courtesy of kitchen culture at Leng Kee Road. Make-up and hair by Helen Wong from Make Up For Ever Academy (Tel: 6333 0678) --TNP PICTURES: KUA CHEE SIONG, HEDY KHOO
BEWARE the one who woos you with honeyed words so sweet he has you eating out of his hand before you can even say 'diet'.
Do not fall prey to smooth operators and lip service. Succumbing to chocolate cake, however wicked on the waistline, is infinitely better than lapping up sugary deceit.
Indulging in chocolate could break your belt loops, but not your heart. Between shedding tears over a Casanova-wannabe and shedding extra inches from too much chocolate, the latter is a piece of cake.
But if you must hear sweet nothings from your man, feed him this chocolate cake fresh from the oven. You can be sure he won't be lying when he starts whispering into your ear. The truth doesn't always hurt.
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CHOCOLATE CAKE - INGREDIENTS
200g plain flour
200g unsweetened baking chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g butter, allow to soften and cut into cubes
60g castor sugar (or up to 150g sugar if you've a sweet tooth)
6 eggs, separate yolks from whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
2 pinches of salt
For icing
150g chocolate, broken into pieces
100ml pure cream
20g butter
3 drops of vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp icing sugar
Optional
Cocoa powder and icing sugar for sprinkling
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METHOD
Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
Line with baking paper and grease a springform pan or round cake tin of about 20 cm in diameter.
Sift flour with baking powder and pinch of salt.
Place softened butter and castor sugar in large mixing bowl and beat until creamy white, then add chocolate.
Add egg yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In another mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites and pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
Alternating between the egg white mixture and sifted flour, gradually fold in the two into the chocolate mixture, ensuring the final mixture is thoroughly combined.
Transfer mixture into cake tin and place in oven. Bake for about 50 minutes. Insert a wooden skewer into the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is done.
Allow cake to cool in tin before transferring onto a wire rack.
In the meantime, for the icing, take a saucepan, fill to an inch with water and bring to a simmering boil. Place a metal bowl on top, making sure the simmering water never touches the base of the bowl. Place chocolate and butter in bowl. Once it starts to melt, stir with spatula, gradually adding the cream and sugar and stir until you get a smooth texture.
Using a spatula, spread the chocolate icing mixture around the top and sides of the cake.
You may serve the cake with a sprinkling of cocoa powder and icing sugar.
Hed Chef
Chocolate superior to sweet nothings
By Hedy Khoo
November 02, 2009
Clothes courtesy of River Island. Location courtesy of kitchen culture at Leng Kee Road. Make-up and hair by Helen Wong from Make Up For Ever Academy (Tel: 6333 0678) --TNP PICTURES: KUA CHEE SIONG, HEDY KHOO
BEWARE the one who woos you with honeyed words so sweet he has you eating out of his hand before you can even say 'diet'.
Do not fall prey to smooth operators and lip service. Succumbing to chocolate cake, however wicked on the waistline, is infinitely better than lapping up sugary deceit.
Indulging in chocolate could break your belt loops, but not your heart. Between shedding tears over a Casanova-wannabe and shedding extra inches from too much chocolate, the latter is a piece of cake.
But if you must hear sweet nothings from your man, feed him this chocolate cake fresh from the oven. You can be sure he won't be lying when he starts whispering into your ear. The truth doesn't always hurt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHOCOLATE CAKE - INGREDIENTS
200g plain flour
200g unsweetened baking chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g butter, allow to soften and cut into cubes
60g castor sugar (or up to 150g sugar if you've a sweet tooth)
6 eggs, separate yolks from whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
2 pinches of salt
For icing
150g chocolate, broken into pieces
100ml pure cream
20g butter
3 drops of vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp icing sugar
Optional
Cocoa powder and icing sugar for sprinkling
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
Line with baking paper and grease a springform pan or round cake tin of about 20 cm in diameter.
Sift flour with baking powder and pinch of salt.
Place softened butter and castor sugar in large mixing bowl and beat until creamy white, then add chocolate.
Add egg yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In another mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites and pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
Alternating between the egg white mixture and sifted flour, gradually fold in the two into the chocolate mixture, ensuring the final mixture is thoroughly combined.
Transfer mixture into cake tin and place in oven. Bake for about 50 minutes. Insert a wooden skewer into the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is done.
Allow cake to cool in tin before transferring onto a wire rack.
In the meantime, for the icing, take a saucepan, fill to an inch with water and bring to a simmering boil. Place a metal bowl on top, making sure the simmering water never touches the base of the bowl. Place chocolate and butter in bowl. Once it starts to melt, stir with spatula, gradually adding the cream and sugar and stir until you get a smooth texture.
Using a spatula, spread the chocolate icing mixture around the top and sides of the cake.
You may serve the cake with a sprinkling of cocoa powder and icing sugar.
