So, the Information and Communications Cake House Fan Club (ICCHFC) is now in it's third week.
Following on from Louisa's Lemon Syrup Cake and Sara's Chocolate Banana Cake, Jo produced a magnificent Chocolate Dipped Cherry Cake which was a Victoria sponge iced and filled with a marvelous concoction of fresh cherries, crème fraîche and white chocolate. This was the first cake not to make it into a second day; I think threeses came about at 2.30pm! White chocolate and cherries is a revelation of a combination - we were all expecting dark chocolate à la black forest gateau.
Chocolate Dipped Cherry Cake
I'm baking next week, so have a tough act to follow.
ICCHFC: Background and rules (for those that are interested)
I work at Tube Lines as the Innovation Agent in the Innovation Team along with my colleague Jo. The Communications team work just around the corner on the 5th floor of our office in Canary Wharf. We are all committed cake fans. We've previously taken part in Shelter's Cake Time (raising nearly £400) and there have been many cakey delights shared on an ad hoc basis.
We decided that cake should become a regular part of our working week so the ICCHFC was born. We now have seven members (three from Information and four from Communications) who take it in turns to bake each week.
On Wednesday the next baker puts up a poll of three choices from which the rest of the group can choose. Voting closes on Friday. On Monday the chosen cake is produced and enjoyed!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
150g milk chocolate
150g self raising flour
150g butter (or margarine)
150g caster sugar
3 large eggs
Filling & topping:
200g white chocolate
400g cherries
150ml crème fraîche
2 tbsp kirsch
150g milk chocolate
150g self raising flour
150g butter (or margarine)
150g caster sugar
3 large eggs
Filling & topping:
200g white chocolate
400g cherries
150ml crème fraîche
2 tbsp kirsch
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Line 2 20cm cake tins
2. Coarsely grate 2/3 of the milk chocolate (tip - freezing it for a few minutes first helps) and chop the rest. Set aside.
3. Put the butter, sugar, flour and egs into a bowl and mix for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Fold in the chocolate, and divide the mix between the two tins.
4. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 mins.
5. Remove the cakes from the oven and tins and cool on a rack for an hour.
6. In the meantime, set aside 10 or 12 cherries. Remove the stones from the remainder of the cherries before chopping into quarters. Set aside.
7. Break the white chocolate and put into a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Melt the chocolate, stirring as you go, and once smooth remove from the heat.
8. Leave the bowl of melted chocolate to cool for 5 mins.
9. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, and then dip the 10/12 cherries in the chocolate, coating the bottom half of the cherry. Leave to set on the papered tray (I put mine in the fridge for 15 mins)
10. Stir the crème fraîche into the remaining melted chocolate until it's smooth and shiny, then leave to thicken for 5 mins. Put half of this mixture into another bowl, and add the chopped up cherries and the kirsch (optional) and stir until mixed.
11. Put this mixture on top of one of the sponges, then sandwich with the second sponge. Spread the chocolate from the other bowl over the top of the cake and decorate with the chocolate dipped cherries.
