Thursday, April 19, 2012




Honey Chocolate Cake, from Nigella Lawson's Feast

Exactly what you would wish for in a chocolate cake; a heady aroma, soft crumb that almost calls for a fork for eating and which melts on your tongue, and intense chocolate. Of course, always intense chocolate. 

The picture above shows Nigella's honey glaze; I'm not going to give you the recipe for the glaze because it didn't work for me. It was so very, very sweet i felt my teeth dissolve as I eat it. The cake alone is a beautiful piece of work - maybe dust with icing sugar before serving for a little glamour.

100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
275g light muscovado sugar
225g soft butter (I used dairy free spread)
125ml runny honey (choose a honey to suit your taste - I used a light heather honey)
2 eggs
200g plain flour (I used Dove's gluten-free flour)
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon cocoa
250ml boiling water

23cm cake tin, buttered and lined with greaseproof paper. 

Preheat oven to 180ÂșC

Bring all the ingredients to room temperature first, while melting the chocolate in the microwave - try 20 second bursts, stirring between each blast of heat. Set the chocolate aside to cool slightly.

Beat the butter and soft butter together until light and creamy, and add the honey. Add one egg and a tablespoon of flour, beat until combined. Repeat with the other egg. 

Fold in the melted chocolate and the rest of the flour and bicarb.

Add the cocoa (sifted first) and finally beat in the boiling water. 

Pour the glorious silky batter into the tin, and cook for up to an hour and a half, but set your timer for 45 mins .. then add a foil hat and check every 15 minutes; it may be ready sooner than you expect. 

Let it cool completely in the tin.




The cake, with glaze. Could you ask for a more delectable texture? I can still taste the sweet honey.




Thursday, April 5, 2012



A punchy potato salad .. with garlic, roasted red peppers, capers, anchovies and chilli with balsamic vinegar. I found it here. As the recipe suggests, it is even better 48 hours afterwards.