Recipe needed quickly!!!

[Tinker]

Has anyone got a recipe for a chocolate sponge cake?? A fool-proof () one!! Need to get ingredients after work!

Thank you thank you!

Delia does an all-in-one sponge. I think the quantites are

6 oz Flour
6 oz Sugar
6 oz Marg (soft stork stuff is best)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder

For chocolate sponge replace 1oz of flour with cocoa.

Bung all ingrediants into food mixer/processor.
Mix and slap into sandwich cake tins (greased or whatever)
Bung into oven, I think about mark 5 ish??

This is from memory, so don't quote me, perhaps Delia has a website. Otherwise type in cake recipe on a search and you will be amazed

There have been loads of mumsnet recommendations for Nigella's chocolate cloud cake (very dark, with loads of cream piled into it) and her chocolate fudge cake so if either of these sound like what you are after, I'll post the recipes.

Delias book gives it as:

4oz Self Raising Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4oz soft marg
4oz caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 7 inch cake tins lightly greased & lined with greaseproof paper

Preheat overn to Gas 3/325 F/170 c
Sift flour/baking powder
Add the other ingredients and whisk. I prefer "Bung all ingrediants into food mixer/processor" though!!
Add some water if the mixture doesn't drop off a spoon easily.

Shove in the oven for 30 minutes (centre shelf). When cooked, leave in the tin for only 30 seconds (why???)

I've successfully made this so it must be foolproof!

Oh, isn't this site fab. Thanks everyone.

Twink, if it's not too much trouble, I'd love those recipes. Thanks!

I can vouchsafe for the Nigella cake - I've made it many times & everyone always loves it. I'm at work so don't have the recipe on me unfortunately.

There have been loads of mumsnet recommendations for Nigella's chocolate cloud cake (very dark, with loads of cream piled into it) and her chocolate fudge cake so if either of these sound like what you are after, I'll post the recipes.

Oops, never managed a double post before.

OK Chocolate Fudge Cake:

400g plain flour
250g golden caster sugar (I'm sure bog-standard would be fine too)
100g light muscovado sugar
50g cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
142ml (small tub) sour cream
1 tablespoon vanila extract
175g unslated butter, melted & cooled
125ml corn oil (sure groundnut or sunflower would be OK, but perhaps not extra-virgin olive !)
300 ml chilled water

Topping:
175g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
250g unsalted butter, softened
275g icing sugar, sieved
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 C

Grease & line two 20cm sandwich tins

In a large bowl mix flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb & salt.
In another whisk together eggs, sour cream & vanilla until blended.
In another (!) whisk together the melted butter & corn oil until just blended (with electric mixer for speed) then add the water. Add the dry ingredients and mix on slow speed. Add the egg mixture and blend.
Divide between the two tins and bake for 50-55 mins or until knife stuck in the middle comes out clean. Cool in tins for 15 mins then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the topping, put the chocolate in a bowl & melt either in a microwave or over a pan of simmering water. In (yet) another bowl beat the butter until it's soft & creamy then add the sieved icing sugar. Then add the choclate & vanilla and mix until smooth.
Use about 1/4 to sandwich the two cakes together then splodge the rest over the top and sides.

Just going to make a brew then I'll post the other one !

Chocolate Cloud Cake

250g dark choclate (70% cocoa solids)
125g unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs, 2 whole, 4 separated
175g caster sugar
2 tbsp Cointreau (optional (allegedly))
grated zest of 1 orange (ditto)

Topping:

500ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp Cointreau (ditto)
1/2 tsp cocoa powder

Grease & base line a 23cm springform tin

Melt the choclate in a bowl over hot water or in a microwave. Let butter melt in chocolate

Beat the 2 whole eggs with the 4 yolks and 75g of the caster sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the Cointreau & the zest.

In another bowl whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining 100g sugar, whisking all the while until the whites are holding their shape but not too stiff (sorry, I'm getting the giggles - grow up child !)
Put a dollop of egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it then fold in the rest of the whites (not trying to patronise, but if you're not used to doing this, use a metal spoon to slice through the mixture to try to keep as much air in as poss).

Pour into tin and bake for 35-40 mins or until cake is risen & cracked and centre not wobbly
Cool in tin on wire rack, the centre will sink as it cools.
When you're ready to eat, put cake (still in tin) on serving plate and carefully remove the side. It's supposed to look a bit rough & cracked.

Whip cream until soft, add vanilla & Cointreau and whisk until firm. Fill the crater of the cake with cream and dust the top with cocoa powder

PS, Good luck, and if you've any questions I'll be around for about an hour.

Twink, you star!

I'll prob do the quickie Delia tonight but I'll try the Nigella's when not so rushed.

Thanks again everyone.

Everyone - thanks so much! It worked!!!! Used Delia's cake and Nigella's fudge topping. Mmm, hungry now.

SoupDragon, we made that choc cake and you were right, it is foolproof. Yummy!! Best cake recipe we've had, I think. (DS1 has asked to make it every day since ..... I feel another spare tyre coming on ...)

Twink made the Cloud Cake tonight it was a great success. I didn't know what temp was required so I bunged it on 160 cooked a bit quicker. I also cooked it in a bigger tin but completely filled it so no problem (probably due to the fact that I substituted some of the flour). I've never actually seen Nigella in action so I've never seen the cake either but was assured by guests it looked how it should. You might be interested to know that during a search for the cake (to find temp) I managed to find a recipe called 'Better than sex on a cloud cake'! It's similar but got some differences. Thanks for posting the recipe Twink the domestic goddess of mumnet

Twink, which book is the cloud cake in?
Thanks

Oops sorry Scuba, forgot to put oven details in. She reckons on 180 C but glad it worked for you anyway !

Elliot, it's in Nigella Bites

Right, sorry about this but have another request. Anyone have a good recipe for houmous? I've just bought tahini so am raring to go. Know I could look it up but I'm sure someone has a better recipe than I could ever find Thanks

Can I add a request here? Does anyone know how to cook cous cous in the Turkish manner eg. with chopped chilli, peppers etc, and an almost creamy dressing? Have bought a big bag of cous cous but moved away from my Turkish neighbours who used to cook it beautifully.

Tinker, have a look here for Delia's version.

You seem to be getting a bit domestic at the moment, are you aiming for goddess status ??!!

PS Tinned chickpeas work rather than faffing around and if it's a bit too thick, use a mixture of groundnut oil & olive to thin it down rather than olive on its own else it gets a bit strong

MandyD I think you need to out a 'Persons you are missed' request in for SML, she's been gone for a while but would almost certainly be able to help

Twink - you star, thanks a lot! Goddess? Sadly not, just hungry