Friday 21 December 2012

Christmas Pudding Cake

 
 
I recently saw some cute hemisphere-shaped cake tins in Lakeland and was ordering some other things so couldn't resist buying one. I immediately had two ideas for things to bake with it, one of which was a Christmas pudding cake - that is, a cake decorated to look like a Christmas pudding!

I wanted to make a chocolate cake, as I don't really like Christmas cake or Christmas pudding, and as there is a blogging challenge featuring the recipes of Nigella Lawson - and it's been a while since I've done anything of Nigella's - I thought I would see if I could find a chocolate cake recipe of hers. Which obviously wasn't that hard! I decided to use this recipe for her 'old fashioned chocolate cake'.

You need:
200g plain flour
200g caster sugar
1 tsp bicarb of soda
40g cocoa powder
175g butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
150ml sour cream

I don't seem to be very good at making sure I have the right ingredients lately.. I realised as I started to bake that I had forgotten to buy any sour cream. Maybe I should have named this blog the Forgetful Baker.... I substituted Greek yogurt, which also means this recipe is lower in fat, and it seemed to work fine!
 
I creamed the butter and the sugar then added the eggs
 
 
 
Then I added the flour and bicarb of soda
 
 
Next I added the cocoa powder and vanilla
 
 
 
And finally the Greek yogurt.
 
 
I was surprised the cake tin actually stayed upright...
 
 
I sprayed the tin with plenty of Cake Release and it came out as a perfect hemisphere:
 

 
As I wasn't going to frost the outside of the cake I wanted to put something inside. I've got a cupcake plunger that is designed to remove the core of a cupcake to allow you to fill it, but it's actually quite big and a little too big for some cupcakes - but I thought it would work perfectly for this.
 
 
I used it to remove a core from the middle of the cake...
 
 
 
.... which I then filled with Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Frosting. I'd been baking for hours and didn't have the energy to whip up something else!
 
 
Then I replaced the section of cake I had taken out, so the filling will be a surprise when we cut into the cake!
 
 
It was quite easy to make it look like a Christmas pudding. I rolled out some white fondant and cut a wavy line around the edge, then placed it over the top of the cake.
 
 
I then cut out some pieces of green fondant using a holly leaf cookie cutter I bought at Cake International in November- I knew it would come in handy!
 
 
 
 
Finally I just rolled some little balls out of red fondant and placed them on the top.
 
 
Simple but effective! I'm taking this to my parents' house when my boyfriend and I visit them this weekend (as I am spending Christmas with his family for the first time!) and I can't wait until my mum cuts into it and the chocolate fudge filling oozes out!
 
 
I am sending this to Calendar Cakes, hosted by Rachel of Dolly Bakes and Laura of Laura Loves Cakes, as their theme this month is Christmas.
 
I am also sending this to Forever Nigella, also hosted by Laura of Laura Loves Cakes, as the theme is any Nigella Christmas recipe. This chocolate cake of hers isn't specifically a Christmas recipe but I hope Laura will decide it counts as I've put a very festive spin on it! This particular challenge was created by Maison Cupcake and I think this is the first time I have entered!
 
 
 
I am also sending this to Tea Time Treats, hosted by Karen of Lavender and Lovage and Kate of What Kate Baked, as their theme this month is chocolate.
 
 

14 comments:

  1. looks good. who gets to eat it,do we???

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    Replies
    1. Yes! Though this has spoiled the surprise slightly...

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  2. That looks great and a fantastic idea to make a chocolate cake look like an xmas pudding. I've been eyeing up those tins recently and I have a money off voucher that is valid in January, think I might have to get one.

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  3. Jen I made this but in a Pyrex bowl and it turned out brilliantly try that before you buy one and you can save your voucher for something else if you think it's ok

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    1. I never thought of baking a cake in a pyrex bowl, I needn't have bought this cake tin! Oh well...

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    2. Having said that my pyrex bowl has a flat bottom which wouldn't have mattered for this cake as I'd have covered it with the white fondant, but I do need a perfectly round bowl for the other cake I have in mind.

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  4. oh it looks properly festive and very traditional... and we've both been busy with our icing haven't we? Love it's secret filling too... fabulous!

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  5. Oooo looks good...love hemisphere moulds! I bet the taste testers will get a pleasant surprise when they reach the chocolate core! Thanks for entering it into Calendar Cakes :-)

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  6. That looks great - I love the idea of coring it and adding a surprise filling to the middle. Very festive. I'm very tempted to get one of those hemisphere moulds but I'm resisting at the moment!

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  7. I've been meaning to get one of these tins and Christmas pudding shaped cake was what they immediately made me think of! Brilliant idea to have a filling inside too. Thanks for taking part in Forever Nigella - new challenge is now open at recipejunkie.blogspot.co.uk !

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  8. What size hemisphere tin did you use please?

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    1. I think Lakeland do this tin in small, medium and large and this is the medium one. Hope that helps!

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    2. Thank you. I borrowed some from my friend and I've been eyeing the tins up for a while. Might have to wait til my birthday to get them but my little ones birthday is coming up so need to practise, fingers crossed.

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