Chocolate mud cake and Sweden

November 7 is Kladdkakans Dag!

Or, if you’re not Swedish, Mud Cake Day. I’m not exactly sure why, but those beautiful people have created a day for this delight. After a brief attempt at Googling the day, I believe it has something to do with a memorial day.

Whatever the reason, between my love of Sweden and my love of cake, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to make something delicious! I adapted my recipe very slightly from Kirsten Tibballs’ (she’s an amazing pastry chef and chocolatier, who runs Savour School, and has an absolutely mesmerising Instagram) classic chocolate mud cake recipe.

I could not have been more pleased with the results. It’s fudgy and dense, sticky and sweet, completely over the top; what more could you want from a mud cake?!

Chocolate mud cake

200g dark chocolate
310g butter
1 1/3 cups caster sugar
310ml water
1 ¾ cups plain flour
2 ½ tbsp cocoa
1 tsp bicarb
2 eggs

Chocolate ganache (milk, white and dark)

125g white chocolate
90g milk chocolate
90g dark chocolate
¾ cup thickened cream

Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin and preheat your oven to 160°C.

Melt your dark chocolate with the butter, caster sugar and water in a saucepan without bringing to a boil. Remove from the heat and set to one side.

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together, then pour melted chocolate mix over your dry ingredients, mixing until you’ve got a smooth consistency. Add in your eggs and mix until just combined. Pour into your tin (giving the tin a few light taps on the counter to get rid of some of the bubbles) then pop into the oven for 60-70 minutes.

Your cake will still be a bit wobbly when you take it out of the oven, but don’t be tempted to over-bake it – this wobbliness will keep it delectably fudgy. Allow the cake to cool at room temperature*, remove from the cake tin, then pop in the fridge for at least four hours.

*While your cake is cooling, the centre will sink – never fear! You have two options; one, fill the centre with ganache and make it some ridiculously delicious chocolate well, or two, level off the edges (like I have done in these photos) and have a flat-topped cake.

Remove the cake from the fridge just before you start on the ganache – the coolness of the cake will help your ganache set.

Put each type of chocolate into a separate container (Pyrex jugs are great to help you with pouring later) and set to one side. Put your cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on a medium heat and bring to a boil – stir it lightly so that it doesn’t catch on the bottom. Leave on the heat until it froths up impressively, then remove from the heat. Pour ¼ cup of the cream onto each of the containers of chocolate, whisking them until the chocolate has melted. Set to one side for ten minutes.

If you’re planning on putting the ganache on the cake at a later time, cover with cling wrap touching the surface so that it doesn’t develop a skin.

Grab an offset spatula (or a spoon will do). Set your cake on a cooling rack and set that cake rack on a tray lined with baking paper – this might get a little messy! Spoon your chocolate ganaches onto your cake in random blobs, covering the top of the cake, then use your spatula to marble them. Smooth the ganache over the edges so so that you’ve got good coverage. Top with fruit and chocolate as desired, then pop into the fridge for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Serve slivers of this cake – it’s so decadent that you don’t need big slices. Plus, if you start small, there’s no harm in going back for seconds!

No-bake choc-mint cheesecake and leftovers

Is anyone else still thinking about Christmas? We had so much food on Christmas Day that there are still leftovers hanging around. We had to toss out the last of the Christmas bush, which made me rather sad – as beautiful as it is, it was definitely past its best.

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The last of the ham was finished yesterday, chocolate covered nuts are readily available for mid-afternoon snacking, and there are lollies everywhere! Specifically, candy canes. If you’ve got some of those red and white striped beauties sitting around the house, I would thoroughly recommend using them up with this recipe.

We also have a tonne of cream in our house. Deliciously thick cream that I was lucky enough to be invited to try by Anchor Cream. And, rather than using it to drown my leftover Christmas pudding, I thought I’d put it to good use.

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This recipe is cool and refreshing and requires very little effort as it’s a no-bake cheesecake. It’s an entertainer’s dream – delicious, stunning and so simple! Even if you haven’t got candy canes, you can use mints of any type, or leave them out completely. Did I mention that it only has six ingredients? 6 ingredient cheesecake – get this in your belly right now!

No-bake choc-mint cheesecakes

Makes: 4 servings

240g (about 15) mint slice biscuits
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
150g milk chocolate
1 1/4 cups thickened cream (I used Anchor Cream)
2/3 cup icing sugar
2 candy canes, for decoration

Blitz your mint slices in a food processor for about two minutes, until they’re crumbs. Set to one side.

Beat your cream cheese at a medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until smooth. Add in a small amount of your cream and mix it well with the cream cheese. Pour in the rest of your cream and continue to beat for your cream for 2 minutes. I’m a little in love with the fact that the Anchor Cream bottles have cup markings on them so that you can pour straight from the bottle into your mixture – they’re a baker’s dream come true!

Sift in the icing sugar and whip on a high speed for 3 minutes.

Melt your chocolate and slowly stir it into your creamy mixture. If the mixture is lumpy, pour it through a strainer. Set to one side.

Grab your candy canes and crush them – leave some large chunks, a bit of size variation is nice. I did this by unwrapping the candy canes, popping them in snap lock bags and hitting them with a heavy knife.

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Layer 3 1/2 tbsp of mint slice crumbs in the base of your glasses and compact lightly with the back of a soup spoon. Pour your cheesecake mixture about halfway up each glass and allow the air bubbles to escape – pop them with a spoon if they need help. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tbsp of mint slice crumbs evenly over your cheesecake mixture to create a little seam, then top with more cream cheese mixture.

Repeat with remaining three glasses, then sprinkle candy cane shards and any leftover mint slice crumbs over the top and set in the fridge for two hours.

Tip: Use slim, straight sided glasses so that you can layer to your heart’s content.

If you’re after some Anchor Cream of your own, you can find it at Woolworths. Keep an eye out for the cow on the packaging!

If you’re a fan of choc-mint recipes, I’ve got some doozies for you:

Mint chocolate crackles

Mint slice cupcakes

Chocolate beetroot cupcakes and adventure

Beetroot cupcakes (10 of 13)

Before you think “ew, beetroot in cupcakes”, please read this! I’m going to try and convince you that these adorable little suckers deserve a place in your heart AND your baked goods.

Beetroot cupcakes (1 of 13)

I love a good adventure. Every now and then, something in my brain just clicks and I feel the need for a change. The last time it happened, I ended up in Europe on a whim (which was a completely magical result that I still need to post blogs about). My little brain snaps usually happen on a smaller scale, though. They’re not usually as costly as last-minute flights! Continue reading “Chocolate beetroot cupcakes and adventure”

Halloween chocolate cheesecake and two dollar shop finds

As you may have surmised, I’m not the girl who goes for gore. I don’t do horror films, gross things, or even dark colours, really. I’m pastel-hued, floral, I seek out beauty and positivity.

Each year I struggle with Halloween. I don’t want a severed finger on my cupcake, brain-shaped petit fours or spaghetti that looks like intestines. I very much admire the talent of the people who create them (and the stomachs of the people who eat them!) but I just can’t do it. Continue reading “Halloween chocolate cheesecake and two dollar shop finds”

Chocolate brownie pie and cause for celebration

The last couple of weeks have been crazy and tumultuous and completely out of the norm for me. How out of the norm, you ask?

Pretty abnormal.

I tried out for reality television (and almost made it!), I got made redundant, and I struggled to motivate myself to bake.

BUT there is no time for wallowing, because fabulous things are in the pipeline. As much as I hate to revert to cliches, I truly feel that doors are opening. There is cause for celebration! Continue reading “Chocolate brownie pie and cause for celebration”

Lemon lime layer cake and morning tea

A friend and her mum held a morning tea yesterday. Not just any morning tea, it was Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, it’s a cute idea initiated by the Cancer Council to help raise money to beat Cancer.

You make some cakes/pastries/other delicious things, you invite your friends to do the same thing and you get together and eat, laugh and chat, then leave a little money behind to go towards a great cause. It’s a great excuse to go all out on decorations and use your best tea cups. The fabulous event I attended raised almost $2,000 for the cause, and it was ridiculously cute; everybody wins! The theme was yellow, hence the citrusy approach, and I’m so glad I made it; I forget how much I love super tart curd! Continue reading “Lemon lime layer cake and morning tea”

Earl grey choc chip mini bundt and comfort

This week is a bit of a crazy one for me. I’ve been baking to calm my nerves and keep my hands busy. And I’ve loved it. Last week I was a little lax with my recipe posting, but all will come good after this week. The uncertainty that has me baking like a crazy person will lift, and things will become clearer.

As always, I find myself turning to tea and baked goods for comfort – in this case, the tea and baked item are one! Earl grey tea and bundt; could one little morsel be any more perfect? It’s like all of my favourite things rolled into one perfect, adorable little bund(t)le. Continue reading “Earl grey choc chip mini bundt and comfort”

Choc pear brownie cake and accomplishments

I’ve been testing this recipe for a little while. I kept making it and liking it, but not loving it. I like to love all the recipes that I produce. In between making the various mediocre chocolate and pear brownies I managed to do some other cool stuff. For example, I made a milo mudcake, which I’ll post soon. I broke several peoples’ diets with a gorgeous white chocolate peanut butter cheesecake (for real, get the recipe here) and I went to Groovin the Moo and danced away a day that I would usually have spent baking. Continue reading “Choc pear brownie cake and accomplishments”

Peanut butter brownies and procrastinating

I’ve had a crazy few weeks. Work has been busy, I’ve been baking with renewed gusto (and trying to get the recipes posted, rather than just consume the finished product) AND trying to have a social life.

It’s like I can only have two out of three – I can either work and socialise, and leave my beloved blog to gather dust, or I can socialise and blog, and get fired from a job that I love. Neither of these options are ideal!

I need to plan my life. Continue reading “Peanut butter brownies and procrastinating”

Valentine’s pretzels and home-made gifts

I am the anti-Valentine. I’ve written about this before. I question the need for lavish gifts, I’m awkward and clumsy when dining at nice restaurants, I don’t really like champagne (unless it’s champagne icing!) and, given the choice, red roses are the last flowers I would choose for myself.