Monday, May 21, 2012

Sticky Chocolate Honey Cake

"Aw crap," I muttered. Batter was oozing out of the pan into the bottom of the oven. A vision of the dorm burning down before my eyes flashed by. Focus, focus. Pull the pan out of the oven, shut it off. Panic briefly. Call my mother for advice. Scowl. Taste the batter. Lord, that's good. 

Oy. 

Gah. This was supposed to be a beautiful birthday cake garnished with honey caviar. But I wasn't just going to give up! Thankfully there was a piece of foil in the bottom of the oven that caught most of the goo, and then I just...stuck the pan back in. 


 So obviously it's less like a cake and more like a...bog. Or something. But it was soooo moist. And the honey gave it a different, special sort of sweetness. I'm certain that if I hadn't er, filled the pan so high, it would have been beautiful. On a side note, this was my last post at school for this year, and I'm currently writing from my cozy bedroom. Dorm life cooking will resume in September, but for now, enjoy a summer of fancy home food! 

Oho, I cut it into a slice! It almost looks normal! 



Sticky Chocolate Honey Cake 

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1 1/3 cups soft light brown sugar
2 sticks soft butter
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

Take whatever you need out of the refrigerator so that all ingredients can come to room temperature, and while that's happening, melt the chocolate from the cake part of the ingredients list in a good-sized bowl, either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and butter and line a 9-inch tin.
Beat together the sugar and soft butter until airy and creamy, and then add the honey.
Add 1 of the eggs, beating it in with a tablespoon of the flour, and then the other egg with another tablespoon of flour. Fold in the melted chocolate, and then the rest of the flour and baking soda. Add the cocoa pushed through a strainer to ensure you have no lumps, and last of all, beat in the boiling water. Mix everything well to make a smooth batter and pour into the prepared tin. Cook for up to 1 1/2 hours, though check the cake after 45 minutes and if it is getting too dark, cover the top lightly with aluminum foil and keep checking every 15 minutes.
Let the cake cool completely in the tin on a rack.
To make the glaze, bring the water and honey to a boil in a saucepan, then turn off the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate, swirling it around to melt in the hot liquid. Leave it for a few minutes, then whisk together. Add the sugar through a sieve and whisk again until smooth.
Choose your plate or stand, and cut out 4 strips of baking paper and form a square outline on the plate. This is so that when you sit the cake on and ice it, the icing will not run out all over the plate. Set the thoroughly cooled cake on the prepared plate. Pour the glaze over the cold honey cake; it might dribble a bit down the edges, but don't worry too much about that (Or form a cake around the whole thing. That's cool too).

3 comments:

  1. Oh that has happened to me before, but sadly I could not salvage mine. The cake does look deliciously moist and chocolatey. After reading the ingredients in the glaze, I would say that was really the thing that put this cake into the special category.
    Glad you are off for the summer, time for some fun in the sun! It is so hot here I think I could live at the waterpark!

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  2. It's not that hot here yet..but it'll get there. I see plenty of pool days in the future. Thankfully I'm only working the first half of the day, so I can relax all afternoon!

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