Chocolate Mud Cake.... with satin chocolate glaze

Had another birthday and another reason to make a cake!

This cake was dense and moist. Very rich in flavour and essentially is also depends on the type of dark chocolate you use. I used 80% cocoa Columbian dark chocolate and all those who ate it loved the density and richness of the chocolate taste.

Ingredients

250g butter, chopped
200g dark eating chocolate, chopped
2 cups caster sugar
1 1/3 cups warer
1 tablespoon dry instant coffee (for the mocha touch)
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used premium belgian dark chocolate)
3 eggs, beaten lightly

For satin glaze :
200g dark eating chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup thickened cream or heavy cream

Method

1. Grease and line deep 19cm square cake pan.
2. Combine butter, dark chocolate, sugar, water and coffee in a saucepan, stir over low heat without boiling until butter is just melted and mixture is smooth. Transfer to large mixing bowl and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 300F.
4. Combine sifted flours and cocoa powder. 
5. Whisk in (keep adding the flours  mixture) into the chocolate mixture. Add in the eggs bit by bit while beating until batter is smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
6. Bake for 1 3/4 hours. Once done, cover cake with foil and allow to cake to cool in the pan. This step will allow the moisture to stay in the cake.
7. Make the satin glaze. Combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl and melt using double boiler method. Stir until smooth. Double boiling is when you heat water in a pan and put the bowl with the chocolate in the pan. The heat from the simmering water will melt the chocolate.
8. Spread a thin layer of the warm glaze over cold cake. Allow the glaze to stand at room temperature until it thickens slightly. Then spread over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle top with decorations if desired. 

(sorry for the lack of pictures....this was very last minute)

Sun-dried Tomato & Olive Muffins

A couple of years ago when we were travelling around New Zealand, we stopped at a cafe at Auckland's Botanical Gardens. I tried these amazing savory muffins and decided that 1 day I will get down to making these at home. I don't remember all the ingredients in that muffin but I do remember that it had onions, green peppers, Kalamata olives, zucchini and sun-dried tomatoes. I am still yet to attempt this recipe!  For now, I made the simple version.

Today I had a craving to eat sun-dried tomatoes but not in a sandwich. So I looked up a muffin recipe and found one on the Betty Crocker website. I made a few variations to suit my taste and based on the ingredients I had. The came out oh-so-divine with a lovely balance of saltiness from the olives and the supreme taste of sun-dried tomatoes. I will experiment to make this is a loaf pan next time. It has the same consistency of soft bread and would definitely make a great accompaniment to a sunday big breakfast!

WARNING : if you don't like sun-dried tomatoes, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (you can use parmesan or even crumbed soft feta)
1 tsp mixed italian dried herbs
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mexican chili powder (you can use cracked black pepper as an option)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained & chopped
1/4 cup pimento stuffed olives or Kalamata olives

Method

1. Heat oven to 400F / 205C and line 12 cup muffin tray.
2. Beat milk, oil and egg together until mixed up. Mix in flour, cheese, herbs, baking powder, salt and chili powder. You can beat on low speed or mix it using a wooden spoon. 
3. Fold in sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Divide equally into 12 muffin cups.
4. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes until golden brown. 
5. Turn onto wire rack to cool. Serve warm. Can be warmed in the microwave for 10 seconds. 
6. Can be served with cream cheese or honey.