“Roses Are Red Violets Are Blue, Sugar Is Sweet And

So Are You! “

 

 

     

                                                        

                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Valentine’s Day !

 

 

 

This beautiful cake is waiting to be made for some one special!

 

 

 

Ingredients

3 eggs

100 g bitter chocolate 70 % cocoa

100 g unsalted butter

100 g sugar

1 tbs flour ( Only )

150 g fresh raspberries

250 g whipped cream

1 tsp icing sugar ( confectioners )

For Decoration

Azalea and Rosemary Flowers or other “edible” flowers, roses, pansies jasmine

Oven Temperature : 150.C./300.F

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

 

 

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 150.C /300.F. Choose a suitable cake stand or plate to display your cake on. Butter non stick “heart shaped or round” cake tin. 26 cm x 26 cm at widest points 5.5 cm deep. Stand cake tin on a sheet of grease-proof paper and draw round the perimeter with a pencil. Cut out and place this g.p.p.in base of tin to be certain of cake not sticking! Wash raspberries, by placing them very delicately into a sieve and holding under running tap. Arrange one by one hole downwards on kitchen paper to completely drain. 

2. Melt chocolate in ‘Bain Marie,’ ( Heat-proof/ pyrex bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. The base of your bowl must not be touching the water.)

3. Separate egg yolks from the whites, placing them in two large mixing bowls. Add sugar to yolks and beat until white and fluffy. 3 minutes minimum.

4. While chocolate is melting whip whites to stiff peaks ( at least 3 minutes, or until they stand in stiff peaks. There must be no yolk, which may have fallen into the whites and beaters must be spotlessly clean, or the whites will never go stiff!) 

5. Add butter to chocolate and allow to melt. Remove from heat and mix butter into chocolate. Add chocolate to egg yolks together with sifted flour and fold until a uniform color. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites, 1 table spoon first and then the rest, this makes it easier to be incorporated. Use the usual cutting and folding over method, working quickly so as not to lose air.

6. Turn out in one, by tipping cake mixture out into cake tin with the help of a spatula,this way you lose less air. Place in pre- heated oven with out delay, for 40 minutes. NEVER open oven door during the cooking time of a cake. The clod air coming in, causes the cake to flop!

7. When the cooking time is up, open oven door just enough to insert skewer into the center, if it comes out clean it is ready, if not leave another 5 minutes.This cake does not rise very high and my cake tin has high sides, for making double quantities. The end result is prettier  using the above quantities though, because once you decorate it, it has plenty of hight.

8. Leave to cool 3 minutes, run knife  carefully around edge, place cake cooling wrack on top of cake tin and holding together tightly, turn out with one swift turn!

9. Peel off paper gently and leave to completely cool. This takes about 20 minutes. Place your hand lightly on top of the center of the cake, to ensure it is completely cold. Place cake serving plate/stand, lightly over the top of your cake and turn cake over onto plate holding onto cooling rack like a sandwich. Remove rack and if you are using round cake tin,  fold a sheet of  paper in half, draw  the shape of a half a heart,( a bit like a large “?” cut out and open out paper heart, place on top of cake, lightly sprinkle with icing sugar and remove paper. Using the line left by the paper, cut using a sharp serrated knife, pointing downwards to form your heart shaped cake.

10. Make sure your cake is centrally placed on your ‘cake stand’ and proceed to decorate with raspberries. Start by making a border all the way around, slightly in from the edge of your cake. Then fill in center.

11. Beat your cream until stiff. Place “Star” nozzle on piping bag, fill bag 2/3 full and twist top of bag. Press bag from top downwards, until cream is just starting to come out of nozzle. Placing your nozzle  touching where you want to make your star, press bag, until the amount of cream you want has come through and lift away. If you have not done this before, practice on a plate first. It is not difficult, just be sure cream is stiff and  hold your piping bag at right angles to what you are decorating.

12. Finally using a sieve, sprinkle cake with icing sugar and float a few edible petals on top. The rosemary flowers, if you have them fresh in your garden, give a wonderful delicate flavor !

N.B. This cake has very little flour, just enough for it to keep its shape. The result is a very light almost mousse-like cake! DELICIOUS!  

Always remember when making a cake, get everything you need ready before, because from the minute you start beating you are adding air and lightness to your cake and any delay, causes that air to be lost. There is nothing like a light cake, a heavy one will not be appreciated! Good Luck!

 

This is an easy cake, don’t be put off by all the details, those are for my new cooks!

 

The final result will melt anyones heart!!!

 

 

 

         

 

 

                                                         

Step by step pictures of how to make this delicious Cake !

This is what you are aiming for.

 

 

 

 

 

Gather together all your ingredients. Place shelf a little lower from the middle, in your oven and turn on to 150.C/300.F.

 

Grease your tin with melted butter. Place tin on a sheet of grease-proof paper and draw around your tin with a pencil.

 

Cut out heart shape.

 

Place paper  in base of tin. This way cake  turns out more easily and you are sure it won’t stick to your tin.

 

Melt chocolate over “Bain Marie.” ( Heat-proof bowl, placed over saucepan of simmering water.)

 

Place egg yolks and sugar in large bowl and beat.

 

Beat egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Here they are shown at the start of the beating, after 3 minutes

they will have become a much lighter color and be light and fluffy. By beating you add air and thus lightness to

your cake.

 

Place whites in large bowl and beat until stiff peaks, 3 minutes. ( Wash beaters very thoroughly before doing this!!!!)

 

 

Add butter to melted chocolate and leave to melt. Remove from heat and mix butter into chocolate.

 

 

Add melted chocolate and sifted flour to egg yolks.

 

 

Fold with large spatula, cutting across, lifting mixture and lightly and quickly folding over, so as not to lose

air, giving the bowl a half turn each time.

 

Give the egg whites a last minute whip, to be as stiff as possible. Fold in one tbs of stiffly beaten egg whites

and then the rest. (If beaten whites are left to stand they slowly deflate.)

 

Turn out in one, so as not to lose the air in the mixture, by tipping out your mixture with the help of a spatula.

 

 

Even out, very gently with spatula and place straight away into the center of your pre-heated oven.

 

 

Oven rack should be placed just below the center, so that your cake is in the center of  your pre-heated oven.

 

 

ONLY when cooking time is reached, (40 minutes,) open oven door just enough to place skewer into the center

of  your cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready, if not leave a little longer, 5 mins and take out.

 

Leave to cool  5 minutes, your cake will shrink away from the sides, allowing you to run a knife around the

perimeter of your cake.  Place cooling rack on top and gently holding both tightly together, turn over.

Leave to cool completely. This takes about half an hour. Check with the palm of your hand. It must be

completely cold, before decorating. If you are not decorating straight away, cover tightly with cling film.

Carefully remove  paper while still warm.

 

 

Whip cream until stiff and add star nozzle to piping bag.  Fill piping bag 2/3rds full with cream. Twist top of bag

to push cream down to the bottom.

 

 

First place a line a of raspberries around the perimeter, a little in from the edge and then fill the center with more raspberries.

 

 

Pipe your stars around the bottom of the cake and then a second layer around the top. Keep those stars nice

and close together for the best effect.

 

 

Decorate  cake stand with a few extra raspberries and add a few extra stars to the top of your cake in between

the raspberries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a sieve, dust your cake with a little icing sugar and decorate with flowers.

 

 

                       

To my wonderful family, to my dear friends, to some very special people out there who are going through some very tough moments and to all you romantics, always have  love in your hearts!

Chin Chin and Happy Valentine’s day!