Oh no! Cake horror. Save me.

[spidermama]

A couple of months ago I found myself bragging about my new chocolate torte recipe, and got roped in to making it for my friends 40th birthday party.
The party's tonight. I've made the cake and it's shit.
I say that, it tastes absolutely gorgeous but it looks awful.
It's not supposed to be her actual birthday cake, but rather a nice puidding for her guests.
Would you care if it were your birthday party?

What's wrong with how it looks? Can you smother it in sifted cocoa/icing sugar or hide it under a pile of chocolate curls??

Or eat the cr*p one and buy another from M&S?

what about it looks shit?

cAN IT BE IMPROVED WITH A DUSTING OF COCOA POWDER OR ICING SUGAR?

Ahem, sorry did,'t mean to shout.

great minds soupy

It's sunken in the middle. Or overly tall round the sides.
The texture's fine and you're actually supposed to weight it down with a plate, but it's all cracked and looks really unappetising.
It'll take a couple of inches of chocolate curls. Can you make chocolate curls without a chocolate curler?

Definitely. Or could you put some cream on top?

Get some strawberries/raspberries and pile them up in the middle, pipe cream round the outside? And add choc curls, you could do it with a potato peeler I suppose.

I hate it when that happens. Could you trim the taller outside bit so it's all a similar height (then disguise with the icing sugar) or is that getting rid of too much?

or could you put some fresh strawberries on top?

Should try for the strawbs, but am leaning towards slicing off the walls not least because then I'd have to eat them.
I'd lose about 15-20 percent of the cake though.
Hmmmmmm.

I'd go for the option that let me eat 20% of the cake for sure!

i would slice the walls off and cut them into pieces to make a chocolate octopuss. then cover in a gallon of melted choc.

I'm getting the knife now. (licks lips)

I personally would much sooner eat a delciouse home made pudding, rather than one that looks perfect from a shop full of crap, chemicals, hydrogenated vegatable oil etc!!!

Thanks NannyL. I would too.

Forget how it looks, can we PLEASE just have the recipe?

sounds divine!

(coyly) Oh well, if you insist...

In a bowl above boiling water, melt 3 big bars of dark (70% solids) cooking chocolate along with 500g (2 pats) of unsalted butter. When melted add 100g fresh ginger (finely chopped), 2 x tblspns of cocoa powder and 70g polenta flour. Allow to cool a little.

Meanwhile beat 10 eggs (yes 10) with 400g caster sugar until it has trebled in volume.

Fold mixtures together with a pinch of baking powder.

Put in a greased LINED 30cm cake tin and bake at 150c for 45 mins.

When you take it out, put a plate on top for five minutes for dense, moist texture.

This is not at all healthy, but IS wheat-free and TDF. [tongue hanging out emoticon]

Don't worry. Say it's based on a Nigella recipe. She has a choc cloud cake, designed to sink in the middle. It collapses completely as you take it out of the oven, creating a big dimple you fill with whipped cream. The whole thing is absolutely gorgoeous.

Have fun and happy 40th to your friend

It sounds bloody gorgeous.

Just grate some chocolate for chocolate curls, dust with cocoa powder and put some strawberries around the edges !!! Let us know if it works !!! Don't worry - he'she will love it - home made cakes are better than shop bought ones - trust me !! I am a food addict !!!

Puff I don't suppose it is low GI, do you?

Right. I'm off to the party now. I've filled the hole with stawberries, blueberries and bashed up Flake bar.
I'll claim it's a Nigella thing.

Bye.

Hey, let us know how it went down won't you? Esp the 'Nigella thing' as opposed to 'internet parenting site thing!'

lol melbob