Moist Chocolate Cake

I got this recipe from an old food processor recipe book, the cake is amazing and very moreish. it's one of my wifes favourites, and i am not allowed to make this when she is on one of her diets.
Ingredients: -
4 eggs
225g Caster Sugar
2 Drops of Vanilla Essence
150g Dark Chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids any less and the cake does not work due to the fat content of the chocolate)
125g unsalted butter
50ml water
25g plain flour
50g Ground Almonds
Whipped Cream or  good quality Ice-Cream to serve and Icing Sugar to dust.
Use a 7 inch (18cm), lose bottom cake tin.

Method: -
1 - Preheat oven to gas mark 3 / 170°C / 320°F

2 - Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.

3 - Put chocolate, butter and water in a bowl and heat over a saucepan of simmering water. Do not stir until it is completely melted. When they are all melted stir gently together. This is key, not to stir until it is melted as the water changes the composition of the chocolate if stirred too soon. I hav made a mess of this so many times.

4 - Using a metal spoon or spatula gently fold in the creamed mixture into the chocolate mix, and then fold in almonds and flour.

5 - Pour into cake tin and cook for 20-25 mins. To check if cooked see if the top is crispy.

Note – The cake will rise in the oven, but when cooled it will sink. The outside will be crispy and the centre will be slightly gooey a bit like a chocolate brownie.

Now dust with icing sugar and serve this with the whipped cream or ice-cream, and Indulge in chocolate heaven.

Shortbread

This is my Grampa's Recipe and it is so easy. When I was a young boy he used to make this with me, now I make it with my young son. this is what started me cooking, so hopefully it will do the same for my son too.

Thats us making the shortbread

Ingredients: -



50g caster Sugar

100g Unsalted Butter

150g Plain Flour



Preheat Oven to 170 deg C / 320 deg F / Gas Mark 3



Sieve flour into a mixing bowl, then add sugar and the butter.



Mix with your hands until the mixture becomes one lump of dough.



Place onto a floured worktop and roll to 10mm / 1 cm thick.



Cut out biscuits using scone cutter or a glass, and place onto a backing tray. My son loves to use his own cutters from his own playsets

Place in the over for 20 Min's. Check after 15-17 Min's and remove if they are light golden brown.



If the biscuits start to go golden brown they will be over cooked and taste slightly burnt. They should still be soft when you remove them from the oven.



Place on a rack to cool.