Thursday 14 May 2009

Food, Music, Food, Music, Food, Music, Food, Music, Ad Infinitum...


It was hightime that this section made a comeback. I love cooking and I love music. So, why not combine the two of them and recommend a playlist based on a particular dish? More so if that recipe contains most people's favourite ingredient: chocolate.

As an omnivore I get the better of both culinary worlds so today it's vegans' turn:

Vegan Chocolate Gateau

Ingredients:

275g/10oz/two and a half cups of self-raising wholemeal flour
50g/2oz/half a cup of cocoa powder
45ml/3tbsp baking powder
225g/8oz/one and a quarter cups of caster sugar
few drops of vanilla essence
135ml/9tbsp sunflower oil
350ml/12fl oz/one and a half cup of water
emulsified cocoa powder, for sprinkling
25g/1oz /quarter cup of chopped nuts to decorate

For the Chocolate Fudge

50g/2oz/quarter cup vegan (soya) margarine
45ml/3tbsp water
250g/9oz/2 cups icing sugar
30ml/2tbsp cocoa powder
15-30ml/1-2tbsp hot water

1. Preheat oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Grease a deep 20cm/8in round cake tin, line with non-stick baking paper and grease the paper lightly with a little sunflower oil.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and vanilla essence, then gradually beat in the sunflower oil. Add the water in the same way, beating constantly to produce a smooth mixture with the consistency of a thick butter.
3. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
4. Bake the cake for about 45 minutes or until a cake tester or fine metal skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven but leave in the tin for about 5 minutes, before turning out on to a wire rack. Peel off the lining paper and leave to cool. Cut the cake in half to make two equal layers.
5. Make the chocolate fudge. Place the margarine and water in a pan and heat gently until the margarine has melted. Remove from the heat and add the sifted icing sugar and cocoa powder, beating until shiny, adding more hot water if needed. Pour into a bowl and cool until firm enough to spread and pipe.
6. Place the bottom layer of the cake on a serving plate and spread over two thirds of the chocolate fudge mixture. Top with the other layer. Fit a piping bag with a star nozzle, fill with the remaining chocolate fudge and pipe stars over the cake. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and decorate with the chopped nuts.
7. When gobbling up the above cake, please, make sure you lick each and every finger clean. Actually, go the extra yard, make sure your partner licks them, too, and you suck his/hers. Do not worry about manners, they have gone off to have their tea, too and forsaken you altogether. And as for playlist, forget that, too, there's only one tune that I can think of now, because I love your Brown Skin, Miss Chocolate. Enjoy.


Image taken from Madcup Cupcakes


Next post: Song for a Spring Sunday Morning to be published on Sunday 17th May at 10am GMT

Copyright 2009

40 comments:

  1. mmm, that sounds wonderful. this finding someone to lick off of might be tricky though :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, my....I'm fanning myself. Gonna forward this one to my Beloved!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mmmmm, licking and sucking chocolate and that sultry, sexy music is my kind of posting! Do it again, please:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. P.S. That was so sweet of you to do the metric to non-metric conversions;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, yumity-yum-yum!! I'm taking this one back to the manor with me. And I'll be sure to do the finger thing, too. Essential. Thank you, Mr. Cuban.

    ReplyDelete
  6. mmmmm....the cake, the song, and # 7.

    music and food are divinity!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You love cooking, have great taste in music. Have just served us a vegan chocolate cake and you are Scorpio. Does it get any better? In another lifetime I would be proposing marriage! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi there MR C (for chocolate today)

    Now I just need and emancipated male to cook it for me...

    Happy Days

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wonderful recipe to try out this weekend. Chocolate is one of my favourites.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Chocolate cake, chocolate lyrics, it doesn't get any better!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mniam, mniam, mniam... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Food and Music: this link you make I would rather call it: Food and Involvment of emotions. Because from my humble point of view any kind of art can involve emotions and give plaisure, as certain kind of food. I wrote a similar post called "Errare humanum est" as for me traveling is the same emotion I feel while eating a typycal italian cheese, called Mozzarella! Have you ever tasted?
    Saludos carinosos desde Italia

    ReplyDelete
  13. Many thanks for your kind comments. And a week from now I will be making this same cake again, this time with the whole tribe. Recently my little ones have been baking with their mum and I'v estayed on the sidelines. Not anymore, though, I'm coming back with a vengeance :-D!

    Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Music and cooking - I love both as well! I shall certainly try the chocolate fudge!

    Kacper

    ReplyDelete
  15. This song is unadulterated chocolate heat. I swear...in my experience...there's nothing, nothing like brown skin on brown skin. ((shudder))

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you, I always feel more grounded after visiting you.

    That cake looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ciao Cuban,

    Cibo e musica. Si, sono senza dubbio due cose che si possono accompagnare benissimo l'uno con l'altro.
    In Italia si sá che la buona cucina, accompagnata da una piacevole musica, si gusta ancora meglio. Specie se si tratta delle specialitá delle regioni: Sicilia, Calabria, Toscana, Campania e Puglia :)

    Buon post, mi é venuta fame! LOL

    Saluti da Colonia,
    Salva

    ReplyDelete
  18. You know I'm not a big fan of chocolate cakes but for the sake of point 7 I'll make one on Sunday... Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Since my culinary skills revolve around can openers, microwave ovens and paper plates, I probably never will have the opportunity to try your suggested delicacy, CiL.

    However, listening to your accompanying music posed no problems for me. The young lady and her friends, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to, and present my thanks. She has a fabulous voice.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Many thanks to you all for your kind comments.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh that chocolate fudge cake looks so glorious! We must try some with icecream. Now! (What a good idea to lick your partner's fingers - we giraffes cannot lick our own fingers because our necks are so long!)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Ooooh, that is one sexy cake - truly finger licking good!

    Love that song - perfect mix, that and the cake. Bravo, Mr C!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Then you lick your hooves, Raph :-)! Thanks for your comment.

    Many thanks, Tessa.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh my! That's positively sinful! Both of them! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ahhhhh, me has cogido con un hambre que me dan ganas de traspasar el laptop (!!!!!!!!)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Many thanks AVA and asere. Chama, hasta yo le he metido un par de lamidos a la pantalla!

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love this section. And talk about front teeth, I just chipped mine trying to bite a piece of that cake.

    Love Renee xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hahaha! That was a good one, Renee. Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  29. This is what I like - unabashed sensual joy. Hooray for sense combining! Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Many thanks to you, purestgreen.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Ayer comí uno parecido en el cumpleaños de un colega. Parecido por la forma, porque la receta tuya parece estar por encima del nivel :-)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Gracias por tu comentario, agu.

    Saludos desde Londres.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I've never eaten a Vegan Chocolate Cake before. It looks delicious and I will be happy to try anything chocolate! Thanks for your kind and welcoming greetings.
    Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  34. Try it, ATCH, you'll love it. Many thanks for your comment.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Ahhh...glad you brought this back. Food & music, a divine combination.

    I wonder if carob powder could possibly do this justice...

    ReplyDelete
  36. No, but then again, you were in Italy, diva :-)! The land of pasta and carbohydrates!

    Many thanks for popping by.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Ooohh lovely lovely post -that picture! I agree with Renee, it is all I can do to keep from climbing into the screen. And how I love this song - every girl needs that particular cd of India Arie... Video, Butterfly... wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  38. You are a great master of making food!!your family must be very happy!

    Happy weekend to you:)))

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...