May 31, 2011

Ridiculously Large Chocolate Cake. Farm Style.

I am a huge fan of Sydney Shop Girl.  She made one of my casseroles the other day and now says I am The Source for country cooking. While I think she is flattering me, I am secretly pleased because she is a fashion guru in Sydney, a mecca for style.  Whereas I am a farmer's wife in the Western Australian Wheatbelt, a mecca for dust.

Anyway, given my new found status as "The Source", I decided to get all adventurous and experimental and try a new recipe.  I know, living on the edge here people.  My Mum was given a recipe for a chocolate cake that was made in a baking dish.  Given that I have a baking dish and an oven, I thought "Why not?"

So, without further ado, here is the resulting adventure.

To start with I ventured into my pantry.  I dodged the many bristling mouse traps (I am ever vigilant in The War On Rodents) and came out with these ingredients.  Except the eggs, I got those by braving the snake ridden chook pen (OK - the snakes should be hibernating so this was not as risky as I am trying to make it sound).

Ingredients

Ingredients:


  • 3 cups SR flour
  • 2 & 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa
  • 2 & 1/4 teaspoons bicarb
  • 250g butter, melted
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 6 eggs (that's a lot, isn't it? - oh well, I have chooks and I am not afraid to use them)
To start with I needed to sift the flour.  This is when I got really reckless.  I let Farmgirl do the sifting....

Almost 4 Year Old With Sieve, Don't Try This At Home

Then I added the sugar, cocoa and bicarb.  I was too traumatised after the flour sifting to sift these,, so I just whisked through all the dry ingredients in the bowl a few times.

Slack Sifting

Then the eggs needed to be whisked and added.  After that I poured in the milk, vanilla and melted butter.  As my bowl was almost overflowing I tipped the whole lot into my super glamourous pistachio KitchenAid and gave it a whirl.

Looking Good


I wasn't sure how "mixed up" it was supposed to be but thought the above looked about right.

The next step involved lining a baking dish with baking paper.  So I did. Then I tipped the cake mixture in and had second thoughts.  Because the dish was this full.

Uh Oh

Although I am all for exciting kitchen adventures, I decided that discretion was the better part of valour.  To avoid spending the rest of the day cleaning burnt cake mix off the oven shelves, I quickly lined another dish and put some of the mixture in there.  So there was a big cake and a baby cake.

Cakes Breed In The Farm Kitchen

The whole lot then went in a moderate oven.  The recipe said the cake should take an hour and a half.  I think if I had made it in my big, whopper baking dish then this would have been about right.  As it was, I took the little cake out after an hour and ten minutes.  The big one took about an hour and twenty minutes.

The cake(s) turned out really well.  Light and yummy.  I may or may not ice them.  Apparently they freeze well.  This can only be a good thing as I seem to have an awful lot of chocolate cake here...

Cake, With A Light Dusting Of Icing Sugar For Styling Purposes

This would be a great recipe for a cake stall or if catering for workers.

So there you go.  Have a good day, wherever you are.

21 comments:

Alice Becomes said...

Yum! well i have to try out a recipe by The Source now, don't i? It really looks delicious, thank goodness you braved the snake pit chicken coop!

Gill xo

Sydney Shop Girl said...

AFW,

Are we allowed to use this recipe as the basis for dinner? There are 6 eggs involved and that's protein, after all.

I am not 'fashion' at all at the moment. I blame winter. I do have great respect though for your ability to manage everything you do and to keep such an immaculate house in dusty surrounds.

SSG xxx

Sydney Shop Girl blog

Pauline said...

Thanks for that recipe. I'm always on the look out for "big" recipes. And there's nothing as comforting in winter as chocolate cake and a cuppa.

Anonymous said...

Nice work! I love an easy recipe! And chocolate cake...

A Farmer's Wife said...

Alice - Really hoping that snake is having along winters nap.

SSG - You are so fashion still. I have to admit I have a housecleaner once a week...

Pauline - This is indeed a big recipe. Perfect for feeding farm workers though. Absolutely perfect.

I'm So Fancy said...

Ooh that looks nice. I'll just time it for when the housekeeper comes the next morning. Cocoa on my marble...

Makeminemidcentury said...

Sometimes you need a really big chocolate cake. I'd be interested in what icing you do for it.

Bungalowgirl said...

My god that is not a cake. It's a slab. Thanks for linking me in last night, I so love you sharing your country life with us all. By the way "hoggett" is Legoman's favourite new word. Used in context of tv celebrities who previously may have been labelled a bit of strumpet. Also somewhat recklessly voiced in my general direction if he's feeling like reminding me that he is four years younger than I am.

Fiona said...

Big appetites call for big cakes.
I'll be giving it a whirl for sure.

A Farmer's Wife said...

Fancy - Cocoa and marble would be bad.

MMMC - I just did a normal glace type icing. A ganache would work too i think.

Bungalowgirl - Nothing wrong with hogget.

Fiona - Thought of you when I posted it.

Anonymous said...

Baked goods husbandry @ Life in the Country: is there anything you can't do?

A Farmer's Wife said...

thrhythmmethod - I am the most uncrafty and unarty person in the world. One day I will "come out" about my lack of talent in huge number of creative areas. (ie my 6 year old son corrects my drawing)

Unknown said...

This really looks delish! I am not a baker but always try and have a go so this will definitely need an attempt methinks x

Andrea said...

Looks pretty delish. Being a chocolate cake lover, whose mum made them religiously for my birthday as a child - I recommend slicing it in half (layer ways), adding a layer of whipped cream and sliced strawberries (or any berries) between the layers, and chocolate icing over the whole lot (of the melted chocolate variety not the sweet sugary icing variety)... Then, stick it in the fridge overnight and have it for breakfast. YUM...Leftover chocolate cake for brekky, your kids will love it!

River said...

I'm random clicking on other sites I visit and landed on your site to find these yummy recipes. Thanks!
Now, about this cake, I also have a baking dish and an oven so I'd like to try this. What size is your big baking dish? Dimensions in inches or centimetres is fine.
email to elsieathome(at)y7mail(dot)com Yes?

A Farmer's Wife said...

Hi River

I had to use two baking dishes as the first was too small. I honestly think you would be better with a big roasting pan because there was a lot of mixture. (My big dish is 20 x 28cm and it was not big enough!) Sorry I can't be more specific but this was the first time I made it and I misjudged the size. The original recipe just says an averaged size baking dish so no help there! Sorry.

River said...

Thanks, I'll measure up my baking dishes immediately. Probably the roasting oan is the closest in size...yep, that's the one. 25x32

Meliss said...

As I'm expecting my 6th child - big cakes are always welcome in our home! LOVE your sieve - where did you get it?

A Farmer's Wife said...

Meliss - Thank you for all the kind comments. The sieve was my husband's grandmothers.

Ara from Kal said...

Have used this recipe many a time and has never failed me yet... when the going gets tough, the tough go to AFW's Ridiculously large chocolate cake!

Thanks for sharing Farm Girl :)

Anonymous said...

Mixed all the ingredients in stand mixer for 5 mins and baked it in a deep, 25 x 35cm roasting dish lined with baking paper. Only needed 55 mins on fan bake 170 degrees. Turned out perfectly!