plain jane cooking - recipes for the novice:

tally's 'ultimate' chocolate sponge cake

ingredients

castor sugar flour - soft (hi-ratio) cocoa powder - dutched baking powder baking soda salt eggs vanilla essence olive oil whole milk water - boiling

400 250 75 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 3 3 150 200 200

gm gm gm tsp tsp tsp pc tsp ml ml ml

production

1. Combine dry ingredients and sieve (to evenly distribute ingredients)
2. Combine all wet ingredients (omitting the water)
3. Pour the wet onto the dry and combine together thoroughly using a balloon whisk
4. Add the boiling water and combine
5. Pour into a prepared cake tin (see below)
6. Bake at 160°C for 60 - 90 minutes or until a knife comes out clean
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes
8. Tear away any excess greaseproof collar and remove from the tin
9. Carefully invert onto a cooling rack and gently peel away the greaseproof paper collar and base
10. What was the base is now your perfectly flat top (yes that IS how professional chefs always get such a level top to a cake - easy when you know how!)

chef notes:

This mixture will rise considerably during baking; so care must be taken when pouring into cake tin. All cake tins, though the same diameter will have different depths.

This recipe/amounts is designed to fill a 22cm diameter, deep sided (8 -10 cm), cake tin (preferably a spring form tin) that has been lined with lightly oiled greased paper base and a 16cm deep collar

Due to its prolonged cooking time, it is best to cover the cake during baking to prevent burning or a crust from forming. This method makes a great 'lid'

• using two sheets of tin foil (or one long one folded over)
• scrunch / roll the edges together all the way around until it forms a circle just larger than the diameter of the cake
• place on top of the greaseproof collar for a snug fit
• the extra weight formed by the 'scrunching' will allow to remain on even in a fan assisted oven

'Dutched' cocoa powder is one that has had an alkaline added to it, this gives the cocoa a richer, fuller flavour. Replace with any type cocoa powder if preferred.

email chef@tallyrand.info