Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce (Gluten Free)

Whilst browsing on Pinterest I found this gorgeous dessert, its rich, its indulgent, very grown up and gluten free. I love anything with salted caramel, so could not wait to have a reason to bake this dessert. I say dessert because even though it was referred to on Pinterest as a cake, I felt that it was better served as a pud, with a dollop of a good quality vanilla ice cream (yes I do mean Haagan Dazs), a rich dark espresso and a glass of Limoncello, you have the perfect end to a meal.

Its fairly simple, can be prepped in advance and next day is even better, as it seems more dense and rich, the salt seems to really come out in the caramel and I have just enjoyed a rather large slice for breakfast, I didn't get to bed until 3am, drank far to much, but had a very lovely evening with friends and Hubby, who I hope enjoyed this cake as much as I did.

Please don't be put off by the baking in the water bath, just make sure you only fill it half way up so the water doesn't get into your cake batter and remember not to use a loose bottom tin, because if any water does gets into it, it will ruin it.

I hope that all makes sense, I am sure at some point I will reread this, when less tired & less hungover and notice all the mistakes, but I just wanted to get this recipe on as soon as I could.

Buon appetito

14 ounces high-quality chocolate
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (approx 125 grams)
6 eggs
½ cup caster sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 cup double cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla pod, split and beans scraped into a bowl

Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4.

Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan. Set the prepared pan inside a 12-inch pan.

In a bain marie (heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water), heat chocolate and 7 tablespoons (100 grams)  of butter until fully melted. Stir until smooth. Let cool for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, the caster sugar, dark brown sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar and the vanilla until fully incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg mixture; whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch pan. Carefully fill the larger pan with water until it reaches about halfway up the side of the smaller pan. Tightly cover with kitchen foil.

Bake until top of cake is no longer sticky to the touch, about 90 minutes (My oven cooked it quicker, so do keep an eye on it). Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a serving plate or cake stand to cool completely.

For the Sauce
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining ½ cup light brown sugar, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the syrup, ½ cup cream and the salt and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil uncovered until the sauce is very thick and deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the remaining ½ cup cream and return to a boil, stirring constantly until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Stir in the vanilla beans. Pour sauce into a heatproof glass jar; refrigerate until just cool (about 2 hours) and spread a thick layer over the cake. Refrigerate the cake until fully cool, about another hour.

Just before you serve, put a few sprinkles of sea salt on.

Homemade Honeycomb

Honeycomb, Cinder Toffee, Hokey Pokey, what ever you like to call it, its one of those naughty sweet treats that is highly addictive and while I was sharing a recipe for Marshmallows and the tricky process of working with sugar and thermometers, I thought I may as well add this recipe. After all, this is another family favourite and something I often throw together in seconds just before the children get home, for a naughty treat.

This is another tricky recipe, you face the perils of the sugar burning, watching a thermometer reach levels that should only be reached in a volcano and god help you if you spill some onto your skin!!! Now that hurts !!!

But who can resist it, I will eat it until it makes my tongue raw, its that addictive. 

Gorgeous golden shards crumbled over a good quality ice cream, served with coffee at the end of a meal or given as a gift, its crunchy, sweet naughtiness will always hit the spot. 

Buon appetito

100g Fair trade caster sugar

3 tablespoons of golden syrup

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Mix the caster sugar and golden syrup together in a heavy bottomed pan large enough to accommodate the rising sugar when it bubbles up.

Put the pan on a low heat stirring with a wooden spoon until all the sugar crystals have dissolved, at this point stop stirring and heat until 145-150C.

Add the bicarbonate of soda, take off the heat, and stir.

Quickly pour the gooey bubbling mixture onto a baking tray covered with grease proof paper or greased foil.

Leave to cool then transfer to an air-tight container. You can also cover it in chocolate.

Homemade Marshmallow

I have been meaning to put this recipe on here for a while, its not that anyone will want to make it, but rather that I do this recipe time and time again and I know that the Children, Rosie in particular would not be happy if I lost it.

The reason I feel that people will not want to jump up and make this is purely because working with sugar is a nightmare! If you turn your back it burns in seconds, the smell of burnt sugar is disgusting and not a smell that is easy to remove from the house. Patience is also required, watching a sugar thermometer getting to 122C seems to take a lifetime and don't get me started on the clearing up. Gelatine and molten sugar are not easy to clean, lots of boiling water and fairy liquid are needed and burnt sugar on a saucepan is there for life!!! Many a saucepan has had to go straight in the bin over the years !

But, even though this is not for the faint hearted, the brave amongst you that wish to give this a go will be rewarded with the best tasting marshmallow you will ever of tasted. Once you have made your own there is no turning back, you will not be able to face shop brought again!

The other great thing is you can cut it to any size you like, I like large squares, but for Bonfire Night I made long finger ones that could be dipped into hot chocolate, it was heavenly.

So if you do brave this recipe, I hope it goes well and you will be rewarded with the yummiest marshmallows ever!

Buon appetito

Icing sugar, 1 tablespoon
Cornflour, 1 tablespoon
Vegetable oil for oiling tin and knife
Gelatine powder, 25g
Red food colouring 2-3 drops (optional)
2 Free-range egg whites,
Granulated sugar 500g

Equipment:
Sieve, 2 small bowls, shallow cake tin about 20cm square, measuring jug, wooden spoon, free-standing food mixer, medium heavy-based saucepan, sugar thermometer, jug, chopping board, butter knife.


Sift the icing sugar and cornflour together into a small bowl. Rub the tin lightly with just a few drops of oil and shake a little of the icing sugar mix around the tin to coat the base and sides. Set the tin to one side.

Bring the kettle almost to the boil, then measure out 125ml water. Pour it into the second small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Stir with the wooden spoon until the gelatine has all dissolved. If you want the marshmallows to be tinted the traditional pale pink, add the red food colouring to the gelatine and stir again.I don't do this, I like to stir my chosen colour through in swirls on a cocktail stick once the marshmallow is put into the tin to set. Leave the dissolved gelatine to stand near the hob.

Stand the food mixer on the work surface near the hob. Put the egg whites into the bowl of the mixer.

Put the granulated sugar in to the medium saucepan and add 250ml water. Turn the hob on low and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved and you can't see any grains left if you carefully tilt the pan. Now stop stirring. Rinse the sugar thermometer under the hot tap for a few seconds so it doesn't get too much of a shock, then stand it in the pan. Raise the heat so the syrup comes to the boil. Meanwhile, switch on the mixer and whisk the egg whites until they're completely stiff. Stand jug with a little hot water in it near the hob.

The sugar needs to boil fiercely until it gets to 122C - the hard-ball stage. Watch the thermometer carefully, especially in the later stages of the sugar boiling. As the sugar gets to 122C, immediately turn off the hob. Using oven gloves or a thick cloth to protect your fingers, take out the sugar thermometer and put it in the jug of water to cool down.

Pour the dissolved gelatine into the pan of syrup, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. The syrup will bubble up a little, although not dangerously so. Stir until the mixture is well blended.

Switch the food mixer on low so that the egg whites carry on whisking. Very carefully pour the syrup on to the beating egg whites in a steady, gentle trickle - avoid pouring it on to the beaters or it will splash. You'll see the mixture turn creamy. After you've poured in all the syrup, leave the machine to carry on beating until the mixture turns really thick and bulky but is still pourable. If you lift up the beaters, a ribbon of marshmallow should remain on the surface for a few seconds before sinking back down in to the mix.

Pour the marshmallow into the prepared tin. Leave it to set in a cool place, though not the fridge - this will probably take an hour or two. I like to make my late in the afternoon and leave it overnight on the side to set.

Dust the chopping board with the rest of the cornflour and icing sugar mixture. Coat the butter knife in a little oil. Carefully ease the marshmallow out of the tin on to the board, helping it our where necessary with the butter knife. Make sure the surfaces of the marshmallow are entirely dusted with the icing sugar mixture - sift over extra icing sugar and cornflour, if necessary. Cut the marshmallow into squares, oiling and dusting the knife as it needs it (probably between every cut).

Lardy Cake

Well I hope you all had a lovely weekend, we had a very busy Saturday as the lovely dresser in the photo above was delivered, this is Hubby & Mine's Valentines present to each other this year. Every year for Valentines and on our Wedding Anniversary we buy something beautiful or special to celebrate our relationship and our home together. I spent a very lovely morning sorting through our stuff and placing it on the dresser, we are so pleased with it.

Sunday we had a lazy day and I actually found some time to bake! I love Lardy Cake, why its called a cake I will never know, to me its a bread, buy hey, I digress! I have researched recipes in the past, even brought the lard to bake with and have just never got round to actually baking it.

Whilst watching a few minutes of Sunday Brunch on TV in bed I noticed they were making Lardy Cake, this is a far more simple recipe than I have found before, so thought that I would give it a go. The results were fantastic and I will be making this time and time again.

I was worried that being so simple it may lack in taste, but no, it is gorgeous and hits the spot & competes with the Lardy Cake of my memories that I use to buy in a bakery in Petworth.

Buon appetito

 225g white bread flour
150ml warm water
1 tsp dried yeast
150g lard, cut into small pieces
50g currants
50g golden raisins
50g chopped mixed peel
50g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon


Put the flour, water, yeast and 10g of melted lard into a bowl and mix well. Cover and leave for 1 hour to double in size.

Toss the fruit, peel, sugar and cinnamon together.

Knead the dough for 5 minutes on a floured surface, then roll into a 1cm thick rectangle.

Spoon half the fruit mix and half the lard on to the surface of the dough.

Roll up from the short side to form a sausage shape. Then roll out again and repeat the process with the remaining fruit and peel.

Finally roll the dough into a 20cm square and put into a greased lined tin. Prove the dough for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and bake for 35 minutes.

Serve slices of the cake warm.