Marvellous Mud Cake and an Introduction.

Hi everyone!

I'm delighted to welcome you to my baking blog. It's linked to my awkward dinosaur blog and it's completely different in design in content, but not in quality!

I love being in the kitchen. Cooking is fun, but baking is what really stirs my passions. Cakes, cookies, muffins, fudges, breads... There's just something about getting involved with the food that kindles a special kind of joy for me.

Today I made a special mud cake with chocolate fudge frosting and peppermint icing spots. It is simply divine- moist and fudgey on the inside, with creamy rich icing on the outside.

To make, you'll need:

Cake Mix:

375g butter (softened)
1 and 1/3 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain all purpose flour, sifted.
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup cocoa powder, double sifted. 
200g dark or milk chocolate (I used milk chocolate), melted.
3/4 cup milk

• Preheat oven to 160°C. Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer for around 5-8 minutes or until the mixture is light and creamy. 
  
  

• Gradually add eggs and beat well, then fold through the flour, baking powder, cocoa and melted chocolate. Stir in the milk.

• Spoon the mixture into a 22cm round cake tin. lined with non stick baking paper. I also like to spray the inside of the cake tin with cooking spray- it helps the sides of the cake to not stick. Bake for 75 minutes (an hour and a quarter) or until a knife comes out clean from the middle. 

• Cool in the tin for about half an hour and transfer to a serving plate. Now to prepare the icing!

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

250g dark chocolate
1/2 cup pouring cream
70g butter

• Put ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure that the bowl isn't touching the water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove and set aside to cool.

• When cool, beat with electric beater until thick and fluffy. I chose to lattice the icing and then fill it in to get a more even cover, but you can just dump the icing in the middle and spread it if you like. :)

 Peppermint Icing Spots:

1 and a half cups icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence
1 egg white

• Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add egg white, stir. Add peppermint essence and stir until smooth. Put into an icing bag and pipe rosettes or circles onto cake.