Bluebells Cakery’s Chocolate Slab Cake
I also call this ‘feeding a crowd cake’ — it’s a great option for when you have a large group coming over and want to offer something sweet. The slab is easy to cut up into squares, which you can serve on their own or with some whipped cream and fruit. It keeps really well in the fridge for up to a week — if there’s any left! It also freezes well.
SERVES UP TO 32
- 2 cups (250g) plain flour
- 1 2/3 cups (375g) caster sugar
- ½ cup + 1 Tbsp (70g) Dutch cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 free-range eggs
- 1 cup (250g) sour cream
- 3/4 cup (190ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250ml) strong coffee
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE ICING
- dark chocolate shavings (optional)
- 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 175g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 190g icing sugar, sifted
- 95g Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-bake). Grease a 23cm x 33cm roasting dish and line with baking paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
In a jug, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil and vanilla until smooth.
Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine; the mixture will be quite thick.
Add the hot coffee and whisk to combine until smooth.
Pour into the dish.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean or the cake bounces back when lightly pressed.
FOR THE ICING
Beat the butter in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and free of lumps.
Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and well incorporated.
Add the sifted icing sugar and cocoa in two batches, mixing well after each addition.
Add the vanilla and beat on high speed for a few minutes until the icing is lighter in colour and fluffy.
When the cake is cool, you can ice and serve it in the tin, or flip the cake out onto a wire rack and invert it onto a serving plate before icing. Spread the top with the chocolate cream cheese icing, then sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings if using.
This recipe is an edited extract from Bluebells Cakery Classics by Karla Goodwin, RRP$50, Penguin
Kelly Gibney’s Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding with Raspberries
The cosiest and best of the classic New Zealand puddings, in my opinion. Just wonderful with vanilla ice cream or cream.
SERVES 4-6, NUT FREE
- ½ cup milk
- 1 free range egg
- cup melted butter or coconut oil (cooled a little)
- 1 cup white spelt flour (regular flour will work too)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- ½ cup caster sugar
- ½ cup frozen or fresh raspberries (do not thaw if using frozen)
SAUCE
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 1 cups boiling water
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Whisk together the milk, egg and melted butter.
In a large bowl sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Stir through the sugar. Create a well in the middle and pour in the milk, egg and butter. Stir until well combined.
Grease an oven proof 1.5 litre capacity baking dish. Spoon the batter into the dish. It doesn’t have to be smoothed out to the side. Press the raspberries evenly across the surface of the mixture.
Whisk together the sugar, cocoa and boiling water for the sauce. Carefully pour into the dish. It can be helpful to do this over the back of a large spoon to stop the boiling water disturbing the surface of the pudding batter.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until the pudding feels lightly firm and springs back when pressed.
Ideally allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
VJ Cook’s Chocolate Fish Slice
Everyone loves a hedgehog slice, and I knew this one would be even more of a hit with the cute chocolate fish on top. I like to cut it so that each piece has its own fish.
SERVES 16, READY IN 30 MINS + SETTING TIME
- 250 g (9 oz) butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 x 250 g (9 oz) packets wine biscuits, crushed
- 16 mini chocolate fish
CHOCOLATE TOPPING
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1–2 Tbsp boiling water
Line a 27 x 17 cm (10¾ x 6½ in) slice tin with baking paper.
Mix together the butter, sugar and cocoa in a large pot over a medium heat, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from the heat and stir in the milk and vanilla, then the crushed biscuits.
Transfer to the prepared tin and press out to the edges (you may have to use your hands for this). Smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Chill while you make the topping.
To make the Chocolate Topping, combine the icing sugar and cocoa in a bowl. Stir in the butter, adding boiling water as needed to loosen the mixture, and whisk out any lumps.
Spread the Chocolate Topping evenly over the biscuit base and arrange the chocolate fish on top.
Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight before cutting into slices. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
TIPS & TRICKS
- I’ve placed the chocolate fish in a grid pattern and cut the slice into pieces around them. If you wanted to cut smaller slices, you could arrange the chocolate fish randomly over the top then cut through them.
Images and text from Summer Favourites by Vanya Insull, published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $39.99.
Mint Cakery’s Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
These are almost like a baked brownie biscuit – so yum! You can swap out the Nutella for any spread or jam you like to mix it up.
SERVES 16, READY IN 32 MINS
- 125g unsalted butter
- 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs
- 150g caster sugar
- 100g brown sugar
- 140g plain flour
- 30g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 80g Nutella
- 140g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Preheat your oven to 160°C fan bake. Line three flat trays with baking paper.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30-second blasts, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside to cool.
Put eggs, caster sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and whip together for five minutes until light and fluffy. Alternatively, use an electric beater.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Set aside your dry ingredients.
Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat until only just combined. Add the dry ingredients and fold through.
Use a small 50mm retractable ice-cream scoop or two dessert spoons to make balls of cookie dough, placing them on the prepared baking trays so that they have room to spread. Top each cookie with a teaspoon of Nutella and press in slightly.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the roasted hazelnut pieces.
Store in an airtight container for up to three days.
