Virtually Silent

This decadent chocolate creations hides a surprise of strawberries stuffed between layers of moist, rich and crumby cake. The frosting was probably my favourite part of the recipe, being easy to spoon… I mean whip up… and it envelopes the strawberries in a warm chocolatey hug.

Then you get to devour it all.

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I talk. A lot. I can’t stop talking, IN FACT, my mouth is its own version of a runaway train.

My mouth is its own version of a runny nose. (EW)

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Ok no more comparisons.

Anyways, once I start, I find it hard to stop, I feel my tongue tire and my throat rasp but I just. continue. talking. I feel my lips dry, my spittle dissolve into the atmosphere, but akin to a rusty engine, I stubbornly continue flexing my jaw muscles.

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You know the term ‘chatterbox’ – well, let’s just say, at some point I am going to invent a time machine, hop in, go back to the middle ages or whatever, start talking and WHAMMO, that term will be invented.

Yeah, I think pretty highly of our scientists since I believe a time machine is going to be built as some point in my tiny lifetime 😛

But yes, you have probably realised this as well on my blog.

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Thousand word, ten thousand word (jokes, I haven’t gone insane yet) lots and lots, oodles and oodles of random topics with a side of anecdotes and analogies.

But these days, I just want to stop.

*Stop and staaaarrrrre… I think I’m moving but I-*

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Nope, not that. Yes, did I ever tell you I have a habit of bursting out into song too? 😛

Just stop talking. Even if it is virtually (geddit, you gedd my pun in the title now? hehe) because everyday I am out and about, going somewhere, meeting someone and while that is what holidays are all about, I feel like I have exhausted my chattering capacity to some extent for now.

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I mean, the other night my friend slept over and we talked for at least 4 hours.

On a recent trip to GC with some mates, we spent one whole night talking instead of sleeping.

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Sorry the heat was melting it a little but I think it makes the chocolate icing even more tasty!

 

I am going out with some people I haven’t seen in forever (no, actually five-ever because it has been so long!) so you just know I am going to come home tomorrow with a croaky throat which makes me sound like a hoarse toad with a bout of throat infection.

I do believe it is high time I just shut up.

And I would if I could which I can’t and I won’t. Because talking is just so sweet a feeling.

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But I think at least here, where usually I am spouting on and engaging you in random tales and fantasised stories, I am going to take a little break.

Let you focus, for once, on the importance of the food, the dessert, and appreciate the richness of the ingredients.

C’mon, I can see the lust in your eyes for this cake, nothing is hidden from yours truly, belieeeeve me.

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Let you pretend you are licking chocolate frosting off each strawberry elegantly, while a sliver, then a piece, then a half of cake slithers onto your plate. Can you help it if the knife slipped??

Wow… to explain all this and describe to you my desire to be a little quiet in today’s post, it has taken me 530 words. And counting.

Ok just enjoy the recipe, I am so done 😛

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OH WAIT, just a note (eep!): This chocolate cake was tasty but not my favourite, I’d prefer using my usual recipe – but as far as this frosting goes, it is one of the most delicious and easy to work with recipes I have ever used. So yes. Go for it 😀

ALSO the lucky random winner from my Dettol giveaway ISSSSSSS….

Helen from Grab Your Fork!

Congratulations lovely! I’ll shoot you an email (or you can contact me at gobakeyourself@yahoo.com.au) with the details 😀

Enjoy your hygienic win!! 😀 😀 😀

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Ok, now I’m actually done, totally just zipped my mouth, locked it and swallowed the key. Jokes, I can’t swallow the key because my mouth is zipped so I used a combination lock then went all ‘Men in Black’  and zapped myself to forget the code.

mmmph-mm-mmph. (See, can’t talk anymore. This is telepathic thought… that just can’t be stopped…)

DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNNNN! *cue horror music*

Classic Chocolate Strawberry Fudge Cake

Adapted from: Simple and Delicious Chocolate (Cookbook)

Printable Recipe

Serves: 10-12 chocolate hungry girls

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened (I accidentally used salted, but it still worked fine)
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup golden syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1/4 cup almond meal
  • 1 cup self-raising flour (SRF)
  • 1/3 cup dutch processed cocoa powder (darker = richer)
  • 1/4 cup full cream milk

Frosting:

  • 230g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (dark brown is better)
  • 1 cup butter, softened and diced
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence

Extra:

  • 400g worth of strawberries, washed, dried, hulled and halved in a clean bowl
  • Extra 250g punnet to decorate the top with, washed, dried and halved (don’t hull!)
  • Chocolate sauce (I cheated and bought some from the store)

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line the bottom and sides of one 20cm round cake tin.
  2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in eggs, essence and golden syrup till mixed fully through.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift the cocoa powder and SRF together. Stir in the almond meal.
  5. Alternating with the milk, fold in the dry ingredients into the butter-egg mixture until a smooth batter is formed.
  6. Spoon batter into the cake pan (make sure it isn’t too high, though it won’t be if you had my luck!), smooth the top using the back of the spoon and bake for 35-40 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  7. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto the wire racks to cool completely.
  8. Meanwhile make the frosting: Place all frosting ingredients into a saucepan and melt on low heat till combined and smooth. Stir continuously. Once melted, pour into a bowl and let cool. Refrigerate for an hour, or until spreadable (I whipped mine a bit before using to loosen it).
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  9. Once cool, split the cake in half carefully.
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  10. Spread one half’s crumby bottom generously with a layer of frosting.
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  11. Top with the hulled and halved strawberries generously, overlapping and making sure you fit as many as humanly possible.
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  12. Add some more frosting on top (not too much) and gently place the other half of the cake on top (crumby side down)
  13. Frost the remaining cake’s sides and top and decorate with the non-hulled strawberries and chocolate sauce.
  14. Serve at room temperature after 3-4 hours of refrigeration (or eat without refrigerating)

Notes:

  • The recipe’s quantity was not very good – I made 1/3 more of the batter and I still could not fill two 20cm round cake tins – definitely double the recipe if you plan on that (or you can just layer like I did)
  • The whole frosting recipe is barely enough to ice a layer of the cake and all around it. I would suggest making 1 1/2 of the quantity (double if you are making two cakes)

Enjoy mes cheris!

Also wish me luck because I am entering this in Marcela’s chocolate competition!

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81 Comments

  4. Ramona W says:

    Love the almond flour and the golden syrup in the recipe!! This cake rocks!! That is a stunning cake too… it looks right out of a professional bakery! Well done!! I would pay you for a slice. 🙂

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  8. hotlyspiced says:

    That chocolate frosting does look very rich and decadent and what a lovely looking cake – so beautifully decorated with the strawberries. I’m guilty of also having rather a lot to say! xx

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  11. shenANNAgans says:

    I can’t wait to hang out with you, I see non stop conversations with bouts of song and dance and alll the food. Ha! It will be such fun! 🙂 Great cake, great yarn too. Thanks for the giggle. 🙂
    Cheers,
    Anna

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  29. helene dsouza says:

    Bursting out into song?! =D I want to see that. =P
    Ok Uru I am seriously drooling here at 9 am in the morning, wanting your cake badly. How about that? And I am not even in to sweet things normally.

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  33. shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com says:

    Hahaha “My mouth is its own version of a runny nose” – you crack me up Urvashi!
    Btw – thanks for getting me to crave chocolate cake in a BIG way -RIGHT NOW! And there’s no chocolate cake in our vending machine 😦

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  38. navane64 says:

    Keep talking. Perhaps I don’t have the chance to hear but surely I read your expressions of thoughts. The cake is splendid and the frosting makes it triple splendid.

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  40. bec {daisy and the fox} says:

    this cake sounds and looks absolutely amazing!! a choccy dream 🙂
    and yay! a fellow chatterbox! welcome to da club 😀

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  49. Bam's Kitchen says:

    Now this is a post chatting about! Beautiful cake and you write beautifully too. My husband said that he read in an article that women each day need to get their 10,000 words out each day. I asked him or else…? No response… LOL Have a super weekend.

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  53. Three Well Beings says:

    What a lovely combination–fudge chocolate and strawberries! Yum! I would suggest being very quiet and not talking while eating this fabulous dessert. You wouldn’t want to drop a crumb. I hope you and your friends had a wonderful time together. Talking, talking, talking…that’s what friends are for. 🙂

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  55. Kim Bultman says:

    Uru, your photo of the swirly chocolate frosting piled on the bottom cake layer (#'”0″ step… time warp… tee hee 😉 stopped me in my tracks. I will be dreaming about it tonight. Hope your sore throat goes away, but until then keep talking …and writing… and baking! xo

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  56. Angie@Angie's Recipes says:

    I love how you decorate the cake..and colour contrast of strawberry and chocolate is just beautiful. A very elegant and delicious cake.

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  58. Louise says:

    I’ve been accused of chatter boxing many times Uru. You are not alone:) That dreamy of cake of yours may just shut me up though. I would want to devour it and then my mouth would be full and then…well you know what happens then, lol…

    Thanks for sharing, Uru…keep that chatting going. Just stop to take a sip every now and again…ok, I’m done now:)

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  61. jama says:

    Talkity talk talk. You are insane (in a good way)! What a tease with that chocolate cake and strawberries. I will be licking my screen for the next two hours. 🙂

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  65. A_Boleyn says:

    Get thee behind me, Uru. No more decadent fudgy chocolate desserts. And trying to trick me with healthy fruit isn’t going to work, either. 🙂

    Lemon is the new chocolate in 2015.

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