Chocolate marble cake

Chocolate Marble Cake

 Ingredients:

• Softened Butter  - 225g 
• Caster Sugar - 225g 
• Eggs - 4 
•  Self-Raising Flour - 225g 
• Milk - 3 tbsp. 
• Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp. 
• Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp. 

Method of Preparation:

1.   Heat oven to 180C/gas 160C/gas 4. Grease a 20cm cake tin and line the bottom with a circle of greaseproof paper. If you want to make life easy, simply put all the ingredients (except the cocoa powder) into a food processor and whizz for 1-2 mins until smooth. If you prefer to mix by hand, beat the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Fold through the flour, milk and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.

2.   Divide the mixture between 2 bowls. Stir the cocoa powder into the mixture in one of the bowls. Take 2 spoons and use them to dollop the chocolate and vanilla cake mixes into the tin alternately. When all the mixture has been used up (and if young kids are doing this, you'll need to ensure the base of the tin is fairly evenly covered), tap the bottom on your work surface to ensure that there aren't any air bubbles. Take a skewer and swirl it around the mixture in the tin a few times to create a marbled effect.

3.   Bake the cake for 45-55 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool. Will keep for 3 days in an airtight container or freeze for up to 3 months.

Excellent Creme Caramel

Ingredients

110g (4 ounces) caster sugar

2 tablespoons tap hot water

150ml (1/4 pint) milk

275ml (10 fl oz) single cream

3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 eggs

3 drops vanilla essence Preparation method 1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C (Gas Mark 2). 2. To make the caramel, melt the caster sugar in a medium saucepan until it bubbles and darkens, a little darker than golden syrup. Take of the heat and stir in the water, CAUTIOUSLY! IT WILL SPIT. Stir until smooth and pour to coat a 1 1/2 pint souffle dish, swirl round the sides. 3. To make the custard, heat milk and cream in a saucepan until steaming hot. Meanwhile whisking the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Whisk the steaming hot milk into to the mixture. 4. Pour custard mixture into the souffle dish. Place souffle dish in a roasting dish in oven and pour hot water into it to make a 'bath'. 5. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the custard has an even jiggle. 6. Cool to room temperature, then chill in refrigerator, preferably overnight. Run a knife around the edge, give it a little shake to loosen. In one movement (with plate over top of dish), turn out.

Creme Caramel (With Milk only)

Ingredients
4	eggs	egg	(200 grams)
125	grams	caster sugar
1	pod	vanilla	(6 grams)
600	mls	milk
	For the Caramel
50	mls	water
45	grams	caster sugar

Salt content: 0% (by weight, not counting salt in other ingredients)

You can use vanilla extract instead of real vanilla if you want to spare the expense. It does taste and look nicer with real vanilla, though.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius / 300 Fahrenheit / Gas Mark 2.


This is the point where I have to confess that I made the batch in the photos below with vanilla flavouring as I didn't have a vanilla pod at home. If you can, use real vanilla, as you really can taste the difference!


1.  We make the creme. Take 1/3 of the milk, cut open your vanilla pod lengthwise and boil it in the milk. Keep just below boiling for 10 minutes so that the vanilla flavour can enter the milk. Cool down a bit, then mix in the rest of the milk, the caster sugar and the eggs. Beat well. If you are using vanilla flavouring, you don't have to heat up the milk.


2. Now we are making the caramel. This takes a bit. Put the caster sugar and the water into a small saucepan. Now boil the mixture up so that the sugar dissolves and keep at a bubbly boil like in this photo. Occasionally stir with a fork, but don't overdo it.


3. After some time (this can take a good 10 minutes or longer), you will notice that the sugar turns golden brown.


4. Now you have to watch the caramel as you don't want to burn it. Stir it with a fork and brown it to your liking - don't go too dark as it will add a burned taste to the caramel. Quickly put the bottom of the saucepan into cold water (just very briefly, we only want the caramelising to stop).


5. Now you have to hurry - pour equal amounts of caramel into the ramekins and swirl the ramekin in your hand to distribute the caramel at the bottom so that it touches the sides.


6. Within minutes, the caramel goes solid. This is the degree of caramelisation that I prefer - dark golden brown.


7. Now add the creme mixture into the ramekins.


8. Put the ramekins into a roasting dish and fill with boiling water so that the water goes half way up the ramekins. Put into the pre-heated oven and leave for 45 minutes.


9. Now the creme has set. Let the creme caramel cool down, then cover in cling film and put them in the fridge. You will have to leave them for 24 hours in the fridge so that the caramel is dissolved and enters into the creme a bit.

Chicken Curry - In Coconut Milk

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

Chicken breast – ½ Kg – cut into cubes

Onions – big 1 (small 4 or medium 2) – chopped

Garlic – 4 cloves – cut into tiny bits

Oil – 2 tbsp.

Tomato Paste – half pack (4 tbsp.)

Maggi Chicken Cubes - 2

Coriander powder – ½ tsp.

Cumin Powder – ½ tsp.

Pepper powder – 1 tsp.

Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp.

Chicken Masala Powder (mild) - ½ - 1 tsp.

Coconut milk powder – 7 tbsp. (heaped)

Water – 2 Cups (luke warm)

Fresh Coriander leaves – handful

Preparation:

1.       Heat oil in a curry pan, add onions & garlic fry for half a minute, add chicken and fry for 4 – 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and Maggi chicken cubes and fry again for a minute. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder & chicken masala and fry for another half minute.

2.      In a bowl add water & coconut milk powder and mix to prepare coconut milk.

3.      Add this coconut milk to the chicken mixture and boil it for 10 minutes.

4.      Add fresh coriander leaves just before you turn of the flame.

5.      Done.

Simple Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

175g (6oz) margarine or softened butter

175g (6oz) caster sugar

3 large eggs

150g (5oz) self-rising flour, sifted

50g (1¾oz) of cocoa, sifted

1tsp baking powder

1tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

For simple chocolate icing

100g (3½oz) of dark chocolate 100g (3½oz) of chopped butter

Method of Preparation:

Simple Chocolate

1.      Heat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4). Lightly grease an 18cm (7in) round cake tin with a little extra butter or margarine and cut a piece of greaseproof paper or non-stick baking parchment to fit the base of the tin.

2.      Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or a hand-held mixer for 1 minute, or until just combined. It's important not to beat the batter too much – just long enough to make it smooth.

3.      Pour or spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth the top and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 45-50 minutes. The cake is cooked when it looks well risen and golden; the top should spring back when lightly touched with a fingertip. Another test is to insert a skewer into the centre of the cake - it should come out clean.

4.      Let the cake sit in the tin for 5 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edge and turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.


5.   For the icing, place the dark chocolate and chopped butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of very hot water until melted. Cool for 15 minutes, and then spread over the top of the cooled cake.

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