Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake

During the 11 days of my exam period, I had a craving for a dark yet light chocolate cake with a sour cream tang. The day before my last exam, I bought the ingredients for this cake so I could make it once I had finished. I had been dreaming about the day I would finally finish my degree for months. I felt as if the moment I was told to stop writing the sun would suddenly start shining and life would start again, beautiful, vibrant and exciting. I daydreamed about idyllic summer days with perfect friendships and relationships and lots of cake and laughter. 

Unfortunately, as something deep inside me suspected, finishing was not all I wanted. I sat in the examination room with my heart thumping loudly inside my chest, waiting for those last few minutes to tick away. Nothing changed when the clock hand hit 12:30. I had a nice afternoon but the elation never came. I was utterly exhausted. The next morning things started changing out of my control and my daydreams started to fade quickly from sight. Instead everything around me blazing into colour, I felt desaturated even further and stuck in a bleak landscape I didn't have the energy to escape.

Though my life is not how I imagined it to be a few weeks ago, I cannot say that I am not hopeful for the future. I am proud of myself for what I have achieved in finishing my degree. I have learnt valuable lessons in the past ten days. I believe in taking the best from a situation and that everything happens for a reason. As every day passes the exhaustion seeps away and I feel stronger. I have many exciting challenges and adventures to come and, I'm sure, many bright happy days. 

As it happens, I have had one part of my wish: lots of cake. Exactly a week after I had sat writing my last exam, I finally stood in my kitchen in Oxford making this cake. It's delicious and all I had hoped it might be. My 22nd birthday on Friday also had cake despite the sad notes that hung over the day. I'll post about my birthday cake and another treat I made while recovering in Switzerland soon. Posting should generally resume, as my life is slowly beginning to. 

Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake

(cake adapted from Citrus and Candy, icing adapted from Joy the Baker)

For the cake:

3 eggs

240g sour cream

55g best quality cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

230g plain flour

150g caster sugar

100g soft brown sugar

1 and 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

225g unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 175C. Grease the bundt tin well with butter. Lightly beat the eggs in a large jug then whisk the sour cream, cocoa and vanilla in until combined.  In a mixer whisk the flour, sugars, baking powder, bicarb and salt together until evenly distributed. Add the soft butter and half the cocoa mix and slowly whisk until nearly combined, then increase the speed until fully incorporated. Slowly add more of the cocoa mix from the jug until fully incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the bundt tin and tap it a few times on your worktop to flatten and evenly distribute the mixture. Bake for 40-50 minutes - it's ready when a skewer/tester can be removed cleanly from the centre of part of the ring. Leave to cool in the tin for ten minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. 

For the icing:

35g chocolate

40g butter

75g icing sugar

35ml sour cream

15ml coffee

(1 tbsp milk)

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove the water from the pan then melt the butter in the pan. Slowly add the melted butter to the chocolate while whisking. Add the sour cream and sift half of the sugar over the top and then whisk to combine (I did the s.c. first without the sugar and it went a bit funny, so I recommend following Joy's instructions and doing them together). Add the rest of the sugar and whisk again. Finally add the coffee and whisk once more. If too stiff, add a tbsp of milk and whisk again. 

(Serves 12-14)

Mum's Carrot Cake

Though I finally finished my exams on Thursday I unfortunately haven't been able to get back into the kitchen yet. In the holidays I photographed my mum making her favourite carrot cake and so she's going to take over for this post and tell you about this delicious recipe. 

Also a big thank you for the kind words of good luck I've received from readers and friends over the past few weeks :)

I am privileged to be asked to be a guest poster for my daughter, Emma. Originally, I was going to do this during her exams but I have been too busy. You may notice that the photos were taken a while ago. So here it is. My brother, Tim, loves this cake so I have just made one with him so that he will be able to make it with his three boys.

Baking has been made so much simpler by having scales that will zero once you have put the bowl on. You can see mine in the back of the photo below. Emma gave me a tip that if you are measuring flour that needs sieving then put the sieve on the top of the bowl, zero the scales and then put in the correct weight of flour- so much simpler!

It is a very moist cake and keeps well. I keep it on the side for the first day or two and then put it in the fridge after that. I then take it out to warm up before eating it as it tastes better at room temperature.

It also freezes very well. I put single portions on a tray uncovered, freeze them and then when they are solid I put them in a bag. I take my treat out about 2 hours before I want to eat it.

I use my simple grater as it creates good sized lumps which show up in the cake, giving it colour and are also big enough to taste.

This one did sink but it still tasted wonderful!

Mum's Carrot Cake

(adapted from Ottolenghi's The Cookbook)

For the cake:

160g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

200g sunflower oil

270g caster sugar

50g walnuts, toasted and chopped

50g dessicated coconut, lightly toasted

135g carrot, roughly grated

2 large egg whites

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line a 20cm springform tin. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, cinnamon and cloves together.  Lightly whisk the egg and egg yolk together in a small bowl. Weigh (note gram measurement) the sunflower oil and place it with the sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Beat on medium for about a minute. Turn down and slowly add the egg mixture until incorporated. Add the walnuts, coconut, carrot and dry ingredients into the bowl and gently mix until combined. Remove the mixture to another bowl. Wash and dry the mixer bowl. Put the egg whites and salt into the clean bowl and whip to stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the carrot mix one third at a time. Spoon into the prepared tin and level. Place into the oven and bake for an hour or until a skewer comes out of the centre dry (it usually takes about 1hr 15 for us). If the top of the cake starts to brown too much, cover with foil. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack then turn out.  

 For the icing:

175g cream cheese at room temperature

70g unsalted butter at room temperature

35g icing sugar

25g runny honey

30g walnuts, chopped and toasted

Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth and creamy. In the mixer beat the butter, sugar and honey until light and fluffy. Fold the cheese into the butter mixture. Spread over the cake then top with the walnuts.

(Serves 8-10)