♬ 'The Blueprint 3' By Jay Z
Totally obsessed with one track in particular at the moment, as I am still having withdrawal symptoms from India. Hayley (lovely friend who loves music, animals and pilates), planted the idea of visiting the big apple. She said, 'Mita lets go and live in New York while we can, because soon we could be tied down and going nowhere!' The girl's got a point, and when she came round yesterday I made her cake and pie.
Behold the mammoth chocolate and chilli cake, with a layer of double cream and raspberry and chili puree.
Chocolate and spice work, so does chocolate and raspberry. By combining fresh chili and raspberry was a brave move, but the result was worth it. Don't be scared to try new combinations out, why only experiment when eating out, when you can try it at home and impress yourself and others.
What makes this cake rather exquisite is the subtle chili kick. I purchased the dried chillies and other spices from a special market in Navsari, Gujarat.
Check out how excited I got:
After the video, I spoke briefly to the girl who was sat down. She was only 15 and she had to do that everyday to every single chili. At that point I felt really lucky to be where I am, and knew not to moan about my job!
There were a few boys running this machine below to grind the spices, no safety goggles or protective clothing. I stood quite far back!
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
200g self raising flour (approx 7.05 oz)
200g brown sugar (7.05 oz)
200g butter (7.05oz)
100g cocoa powder (3.52 oz)
4 medium eggs
1 tsp chilli powder
7 large dried chillies (don't worry the sharpness of the raspberry helps this out, it's not as spicy as you think)
100g raspberry jam (3.38 fl oz)
200ml double cream (6.76 fl oz)
Fresh raspberries to decorate.
Chocolate fudge covering:
250g dark chocolate (8.81 oz)
70g butter (2.46 oz)
250ml double cream (8.45 fl oz)
You will need:
Two 20cm sandwich cake tins and greaseproof paper.
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°c.
: Whisk the sugar and butter until fluffy.
: Add the eggs one at a time, then sieve in the flour and cocoa powder.
: Time for the chilli powder! Strictly stick to one teaspoon, the flavours in this cake have to be balanced.
: Pour batter into two sandwich tins which have been lined with greaseproof paper.
: Bake for half an hour, until well risen and they spring back once touched.
: Meanwhile make the fudge by putting all the ingredients in a bowl above boiling water. Once melted keep to one side to completely cool, then whisk until thick and fluffy.
: The compote is made by heating up the jam on a low heat with the dried chillies (picture down below), for half an hour. This means once your cake is done, so is the compote.
: Sieve the compote to extract the puree.
: Once the cakes are out, let them cool. Actually let everything cool down, take a breather and dance to your favourite track.
: Now you can assemble the cake by whipping the double cream, and spreading it on thickly on the bottom layer, then slowly pour the puree in the centre and close to the sides. The cream is thick enough to make sure the puree won't drizzle off the edge.
: Decorate the second cake before placing it on top, this way you will have more control with the fudge. It's up to you which way you prefer.
: Carefully place on top, and stand back to admire the beauty.
DONE!
Favourite Song:
ê 'Empire State Of Mind' By Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
This time last year:
