Chocolate Cake Archives - Retro Food For Modern Times

29
Oct
2024

A Murder is Announced – Delicious Death

categories: Cake, Dining With The Dame, Marple

Hello, crime readers and food lovers! Today’s Dining with The Dame takes us on a culinary journey from the bustling streets of Iraq to the quaint English country village of Chipping Cleghorn. And, as we all know, the English country village is the natural home of one Miss Jane Marple! Our delectable companion for today’s reading is Delicious Death – a delightful and delovely chocolate cake that is sure to satisfy both your taste buds and your thirst for a good mystery. However, it’s important to note that this Delicious Death is not the same one created by Jane Asher in 2010 to celebrate Agatha Christie’s 120th anniversary. I had some difficulty in finding all the necessary ingredients for that particular recipe so as Fleetwood Mac famously suggested, I went my own way on this one!

A Murder is Announced – The Plot

When the inhabitants of Chipping Cleghorn read the following in the local paper, they mostly think it is a joke.

A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th at Little Paddocks at 6:30pm. Friends please accept this, the only intimation.”

Despite this, most of them turn up to Little Paddocks, the home of Letitia Blacklock and Dora “Bunny” Bunner on the 29th at the designated time to find out what is going on.

At exactly 6:30, the lights go out. In the darkness, a gun fires twice. And dead body is found on the ground.

The body turns out to be that of a young man who worked in a hotel in the local town. But why was he there? Who put the weird notice in the paper? And why? Is someone really trying to kill Leticia Blacklock?

We have:

Forged cheques
An unused door being oiled
A missing revolver
A missing lamp
Missing photos
A host of people who might not be who they say they are
More murders
And EVERYBODY being utterly horrible to Mitzi the maid

Thank goodness for Miss Marple! Sir Henry Clithering might bizarrely call her the ‘Super Pussy of all old Pussies,’ but she’s the one who’ll solve this mystery and bring peace back to Chipping Cleghorn! Here is a somewhat less unhinged quote from Sir Henry on Miss Marple:

“She’s just the finest Detective God ever made. Natural genius cultivated in a suitable soil…remember that an elderly unmarried woman who knits and gardens is streets ahead of any detective sergeant. She can tell you what might have happened and what ought to have happened and even what actually did happen. And she can tell you why it happened”

A Murder is Announced – Agatha Christie

A Murder is Announced – The Covers

There are some absolutely cracking covers here. I couldn’t find as many foreign covers as usual which was disappointing. However, I feel the calibre of the ones I did find make up for it. Even the weird French one at the bottom which looks like people in a doctor’s waiting room has its own charm!

The Recipe: Delicious Death

“Death!” said Patrick in sepulchral tones. “Delicious death.”.

“Be quiet, Patrick, ” said Miss Blacklock as Miss Bunner gave a little yelp.

“I only meant the special cake that Mitzi makes,” said Patrick apologetically. “You know we always call it Delicious Death”

“Ha, ” Patrick cried dramatically as the party took their places around the dining room table. “What do I see before me? Delicious Death.”

“Hush” said Miss Blacklock. “Don’t let Mitzi hear you. She objects to your name for her cake very much.”

“Nevertheless, Delicious Death it is! Is it Bunny’s birthday cake?”

“Yes, it is, ” said Miss Brunner. “I really am having the most wonderful birthday”.

A Murder is Announced – Agatha Christie

Links to the Christieverse

Edward Swettenham wrote a play called “Elephants Do Forget”. Christie later wrote a novel called “Elephants Can Remember”.

Dermott Cradock, the investigating officer in “A Murder is Announced”, is Sir Henry Clithering’s godson. We previously met Sir Henry, the former head of Scotland Yard, in Murder at the Vicarage and The Body In the Library.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in “A Murder is Announced”

Coffee x3
Kippers x2
Toast
Sherry / Bad Sherry (so many times!)
Eggs x2
Stewed Beef
Goulash
Cheese Straws x2
Olives
(Fancy) Pastries (multiple mentions)
Cabbages
Brandy
Asparagus
Apples
Chocolates x3
Herrings
Lettuces
Skim Milk / Milk
Honey x2
Vegetable Marrows
Quinces / Quince Jelly
Tea x2
Cakes x2
Bread
Margarine and Butter
Meat Paste
Meat and two veg
Eggs
Cream x2
Horsemeat
Sardine Sandwiches
Tomato Sandwiches
Wine
Corn (for hens)
Side of bacon
Omelettes
Fried onions
Jam

November’s read will be Mrs McGinty’s Dead

Have a great week!

25
Jul
2021

Cowboy Day – Pepsi Cola Cake with Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting

categories: 1960's recipes, Cake, Cook A Long, Cowboy Day

Yippee Ky Yay Cake Lovers, number 5 is alive!!!! This weekend, courtesy of the nicest man on the Internet, Greg Swenson, we are celebrating Cowboy Day with a Cookalong. I have chosen to bake a cake (because every celebration needs one) from Greg’s book, Recipes for Rebels: In The Kitchen with James Dean – and oh (cow)boy, what a cake it is. Pepsi Cola Cake with Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting.

You might be wondering what is the connection between a cake made from Pepsi and Cowboys? Well, hear me out here. It is a little like one of those puzzles you used to do at school where you change one letter at a time to turn one word into another…

But here me out:

James Dean played a cowboy in the film Giant
James Dean’s first paid acting job was in a Pepsi Commercial
Pepsi is a key ingredient in this cake.

Cowboy to cake in less steps than it will take you to go from bath to tubs!

Good lord, just look at that face!!! If that is not a textbook definition of impossibly handsome, I do not know what is.

Something that is most definitely not impossibly handsome is the Pepsi-Cola Cake. It is a massive brute of a thing (might one say a Giant?) that erupted like a volcano in my oven. It reminded me of the ads we used to have for Picnic bars – deliciously ugly.

I mean, ok, it doesn’t look quite as much like a pooh as a Picnic bar but at the point of removal from the oven, it did not look good.

But as the picnic ad states that’s what wrappers are for. And the wrapping on the Pepsi-cola cake is some divine Peanut Butter frosting.

I mean it’s still not the prettiest cake in the world. But, do not let it’s somewhat less than gorgeous faced fool you. Remember the delicious part of deliciously ugly? Well this cake has a ton of delicious! The cake itself is moist and fudgy, a little like a brownie. The slight slatiness in the peanut butter frosting is a perfect accompaniment to the sweetness of the cake. Beware though the Pepsi Cake is not just rich. It is filthy rich!!!

.

I have a sweet tooth and even I would recommend cutting what you think is a normal-sized slice of cake then cutting that in two. And bada bing bada boom that’s elevenses and afternoon tea sorted!!!!

Pepsi Cola Cake – Recipe

So, the recipe for this cake made me laugh. I love the way they ask for non-sweetened cocoa powder. I mean, when you already have 2 cups of sugar and a cup of Pepsi in your cake I guess you have to draw the line somewhere.

Here’s the recipe!

This was so much fun! I loved cooking this cake and being able to take part in the world wide cookalong to celebrate Cowboy Day 2021! Thank you Greg for organising and inviting me to contribute!

Have a great week everyone!!!!

05
Jun
2015

Birthday Mushroom Cake

categories: 1970's food, 1970's recipes, A-Zof Cooking, Vintage Cookbooks, Vintage Recipes

Why should you invite a mushroom to your birthday?

Hands up all of you who thought I was going to go with that corny old “Because he’s a fun guy” schtick? Well boo to you!!! My jokes are never that bad. Are they? I’m actually terrible with jokes. The only one I can ever remember is “Why are pirates called pirates?” And the answer is “Because they are” Only you have to say the “are” in that pirate voice. “Arrrre” See? The only joke I know and it’s not even funny written down.

So, mushrooms, parties…I made a cake!!! In fact I made lots of little cakes. And they looked kinda like mushrooms. And you should definitely have them at your next party!

Oh and the taste? So good. Chocolate, marzipan and sour cherry jam….how could you go wrong?

Have I ever mentioned exactly how much I love marzipan? Well, it’s this much – I ate the left over marzipan from making this recipe by itself. Then I bought another pack and ate that by itself too. Then I felt sick for about three days. But it was worth every minute of it.

My mini mushroom cakes are based on a recipe from The A-Z of Cooking which has it as one large cake. This is from the Children’s Favorites sections which means we have hit C. Why does it feel like I have been cooking from this book for YEARS? How can we be only up to C?

To be honest, I’m not sure of the validity of the mushroom cake as a child’s favourite. Teddy Bears, Thomas The Tank Engine, one of those awesome Barbie Pool Party Cakes – hmm whatever, yes and definitely yes, yes yes! (Note to self, Make Barbie Pool Party Cake for next year). I’m not sure there’s many children asking their mum to bake them the fungi cake. Not even back in the hippy ’70’s.

Mushroom Cake – Original

You start with one big or lots of little chocolate cakes. I used the recipe from The A-Z of Cooking but you could use any chocolate cake you wanted. This would be A-MAY-ZING using your favourite brownie recipe too.

Here is the original recipe, my slightly tweaked recipe is below.

Spread the top your cakes with the sour cherry jam,

Roll out your marzipan until quite thin, then cut into rounds large enough to drape over the top and sides of your cake. Trim additional marzipan so the marzipan is flush with the bottom of the cake. Turn over so the uncovered part of the cake is now facing the top.

Roll another long thin piece of marzipan. Spread with the sour cherry jam and roll up, lengthways. Cut this into 4-5 pieces depending on how long you want your stalk. Repeat until you have the same number of stalks as you do cakes.

Pipe or spread your icing onto your cakes. I spread mine and made the mushroom gills with a toothpick.

Then place your stalks onto the middle of each cake.You may need to hold these in place with a little dob of jam or icing.

Despite their dubious credentials as a children’s favourite, these mushroom cakes are just adorable and so tasty, and you know what would make then even better and certainly not kid friendly? Douse the cakes with a little bit of kirsch before adding the jam.

Now that’s what I call a magic mushroom cake!

Three sleeps to Pieathalon!!!! I can hardly wait

Have a great week!!!

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Mini Mushroom Cakes

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Delicious morsels of chocolate cake, cunningly disguised as mushrooms!

Author: Taryn Fryer
Yield: 8 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake

75g dark (70%) chocolate
2 tbsp milk
125g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
100g butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 250g packet of ready to roll Marzipan, I used Blackwood Lane
3 tbsp sour cherry (or your favourite flavour) jam

Icing

50g butter
100g icing sugar, sifted
25g dark chocolate melted in 2 tsp hot milk

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 190*C.
Grease and flour your cupcake cases
Melt the chocolate in the milk over a gentle flame. Leave to cool.
Sift the flour, salt and cinnamon together.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time with a spoonful of flour in between.
Add the chocolate milk mixture then another spoon of flour.
Once that is mixed in, fold in the remaining flour.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cupcake cases, place in the oven and bake for around 20 minutes until risen and a skewer comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Roll out the marzipan to about 3mm thick. Flatten an empty cupcake case and use as a template to cut circles out of the marzipan.
Melt the jam over a low heat then spread it over the top and sides of each cupcake.
Then drape the marzipan circles over the top and sides of each cupcake. You may need to trim the edges so they are flush with the edges of the cake.
Turn the cake upside down so the marzipan layer is now on the bottom.
Roll the scraps of marzipan into a long thin stip. Spread this with the cherry jam and roll up lengthways so you now have a long thin roll.
Cut this into smaller pieces to make the mushroom stalks. Set these aside for the moment.
To make the icing, cream together the butter and sugar then gradually beat in the melted chocolate. Beat well then chill until the mixture is firm.
Pipe or spread on top of each cake marking into grooves to resemble the gills of a mushroom.
Place the stalk in the centre.
Enjoy!

Notes

The number of cakes you will get will depend on the size of your cupcake liners.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 8

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29
Jan
2015

Nutty Nutella Cake… with a Meringue Topping

categories: Ancho, Cake, Chocolate, Icecream, Meringue, Sorbet, Spice Peddler

Just as we finish a good meal with something sweet, so shall we round out the month of madness with one of the kookiest recipes I’ve seen lately. And here it is:

Looking at that photo, I know what you are thinking. And you know what?

Some of you are mean!!!!

Have you been taking lessons from my family?

So these are not the best looking cakes in the world. There is a definite dip in middle of all of them. The texture is kind of rough….then again….that rough texture is also kind of crispy and there is a delicious fudgy layer in the middle. And who doesn’t love a fudgy layer?

But remember the Twinkie Defence? I’m about to launch the Picnic Defence. The Picnic is one of the best chocolate bars ever. Chocolate, caramel, wafer, peanuts. So good. The only problem? It looks like a big old turd.

But so good to eat.

And the Nutty Nutella Cake is the Picnic bar‘s next door neighbour in “Dammit we taste so much better than we look” Street.

You know what else makes this cake so special? I’ll tell you in a moment but first, let’s take a walk down Pronunciation Avenue and talk about Nutella. In Australia ( and I believe England), we call this super delicious chocolate hazelnut spread Nut-ella. Because it’s made of nuts. And….ella. Ella being an Italian euphemism for a shit ton of sugar.

However, definitely on The Splendid Table Podcast and I’m sure a few others I listen to, I have heard Americans call this stuff Noo-tella.

WTF? I can get over that whole tomato / tomayto thing. But Noo-tella is a step too far.
It’s NUT-ella. End of.

I first found this recipe on the Masterchef site. However, it has since been taken down. Only a picture remains. And yep, phew…Matt Preston’s cake is as ugly as mine…

http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/masterchef/recipes

Possibly even uglier.

But I was able to find a copy in Matt Preston’s latest book and in the same spirit of adventure in which I made muffins from ice cream and flour a few years back I decided to give it a whirl. And you know what else….there’s obviously some weird psychic connection between Matty P, and me because in the same book, he has a recipe for “bread” made from you guessed it, ice cream and flour!

So, you wanna know what’s in these ugly but delicious sweet treats?

Nutella…or if you’re cheap like me, supermarket brand hazelnut spread.
Eggs
Vanillla

That’s all folks. C’est tout. Three ingredients. To get this….

And you know what? That little dip….don’tcha just want to fill it up with all sorts of deliciousness?

I went for a contrast – still warm cake with some of my ancho berry sorbet and a couple of leaves of chocolate mint – direct from the garden!!!

But you could have any flavour of ice cream, or some salted caramel sauce..or even some normal frosting…

Or what if you added a big dollop of nutella into the dip and then made a meringue over it? OMG. I am so making that….stay right here. I”ll be back…..

Just got to fill these cakes….

Then whip up a meringue….

And bung ’em in the oven for a bit….

And then…..

I am giggling like a little girl and dancing round my kitchen. My, face, my hands, my camera are all smeared with chocolate and meringue and am feeling both a little nauseous and like I have died and gone to heaven….

We only had three of the cakes left and I have just eaten two of them….they were that good!!!!

Scuse the fingers….but you’re lucky there are any photo’s I was so busy ~~shoving these into my gob~~ taste-testing to ensure the highest possible quality standards.

And look at that…the light as air toasty on top meringue, the oozy melty nutella and the cakey base….

What a way to end the month!!!!

I am racing to get this out because I am heading up to the sunshiney Gold Coast very early tomorrow morning for a couple of days – sadly mostly work and not much play – but by the time I can post again it will be February….which is as scary as hell. Where did January go????

Have a great week where ever you are and what ever you get up to.

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