If you think that standard chocolate cake needs some jazzing up, it’s time to turn to plum and ginger chocolate cake. These delicious flavours are perfect with rich, sweet chocolate.
Recipe by Debbie Powell
Plum and ginger chocolate cake
Ingredients
- 100g demerara sugar
- 250g good-quality plum jam
- 10ml (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice
- 10ml (2 tsp) ground ginger
- 5ml (1 tsp) mixed spice
- 60g cocoa powder
- 175g butter, cubed
- 300ml milk
- 2 large eggs
- 260g cake flour
- 5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
- ICING
- 250g icing sugar
- 80g butter, softened
- 60ml (¼ cup) good-quality plum jam
- 10ml (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice
- 15ml (1 tbsp) boiling water
- 80g dark chocolate, melted
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line 2 x 21cm spring-form cake tins.
In a medium saucepan mix together the sugar, jam, lemon juice, spices and cocoa powder. Add the butter and heat gently until the butter has melted; stir well to combine.
Beat the milk and eggs together and whisk into the jam mixture.
Sieve the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and mix until well combined and smooth.
Pour the mixture into the cake tins and bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 20 – 25 minutes.
Place the tins on a cooling rack and leave to cool for 15 minutes before turning out.
For the icing, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl, add the butter, jam, lemon
juice and water and beat until soft and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the chocolate and beat well
Sandwich the cold cakes together with a third of the icing. Swirl the remainder over the top and sides of the cake and decorate as desired.
