Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Swirl

I have been baking many chocolate cake recipe lately and I've noticed that the cake is more flavourful when I use Nestlé cocoa powder than those sold in stores that sell baker's stuffs.  I like to use a combo of butter and oil as butter gives a good taste while oil provides moistness to the cake. 

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake 

Dry Ingredients

300g self raising flour 

50g cocoa powder (I use Nestle cocoa powder)

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt 

Wet Ingredients 

200g soft butter (I use Red Feather or Lurpark) 

4 tbsps avocado oil

300 g granulated white or light brown sugar 

5 eggs

125g yoghurt without sugar 

3/4 cup hot water + 1 tbsp coffee (i use Nestcafe)

1 tbsp vanilla essence 

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Mixture

250g cream cheese

80g icing sugar 

1 large egg

1 tbsp vanilla essence 

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 190 degrees celcius.
2. Grease and line a baking tin. I use a rectangular cake pan size L:29cm X B:20cm X H:5cm.

3. Beat cream cheese, icing, vanilla essence and egg until well combined. Set aside.
4. Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl.
5. In another bowl add butter, oil and sugar, mix for 3-4 minutes until combined; Stir in the eggs and mix vigorously; mix in the yoghurt and vanilla essence.  It's ok if the mixture looks slightly curdled.
6. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
7. Mix in the very hot coffee mixture until smooth.  All the mixing should be carried with a balloon hand whisk. Do not overmix. 

8. Pour the mixture in the prepared mould. Add dollops of the cream cheese on top. Swirl with  a skewer.  I have added some lindt white cooking chocolate on top and its optional. 

Cream cheese mixture

cake with cream cheese swirl and lindt chocolate chunks

9. Bake at 190 degrees celcius for 30-35 minutes. Check with a skewer if ready. Let cool in the oven itself with the door half open. Cut into squares or rectangles.

They are perfect for wrapping and can be gifted during festive occasions.

  

I hope you will enjoy this recipe.....

Quick and easy cupcakes

This cake recipe is very easy and foolproof for beginners. It tastes amazing and takes less than 30 mins to prepare. It is also a one bowl recipe which requires less washing up. 

Approx 30 cupcakes (mini ones)

Ingredients

3 eggs 
1 can condensed milk
2tbsp vanilla essence
250g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp yoghurt 
100g softened butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method

1. Sift flour, baking and salt. 
2. Beat together condensed milk, eggs and vanilla essence. 
3. Stir in sifted flour. 
4. Beat in yoghurt and butter.  Mix in choc chips.
5. Scoop in cupcake casings or pour in greased and lined tin. 
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C
7. Enjoy with tea.

Maspin Barfi

This cake has recently gained popularity in Mauritius. If I am not mistaken it has been first introduced by patisserie Moolkeea.  It's super yummy with a cup of tea. Any maspin recipe or vanilla cake you like will do, it's just that I have been baking low fat and low sugar recently that I am using this recipe proportion. 

Ingredients for cake

• 225g margarine or butter
• 200g sugar
• 5 eggs
• 300g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pot yoghurt (125g)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence 
• Salt if butter is unsalted

Method for cake

1. Preheat oven. Grease and line baking tin
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy （8-10mins).
3. Stir in eggs one by one until fully incorporated. 
4. mix in flour alternating with yoghurt plus vanilla.
5. Pour in greased and lined tin. Bake at 190°C for 25 -35 min
6. Unmould and allow to cool.

Ingredients for barfi

• 2 1/2 cup milk powder
• 3/4 cup whipping cream + 6 tbsps whipping cream
• 125g butter
• 1 tsp Cardamom powder 
• Colouring of your choice

Method for barfi

1. In a non-stick pan, add cream, sugar, butter, elaiti and colouring. When the mixture starts to boil, add the milk powder. Cook for 3-4mins.
2. Turn off heat and add the whipping, spoon by spoon.
3. Spread over the vanilla cake.

please note that I have sliced the cake then spread a layer of barfi in the middle and a layer on top. If you will just apply a layer of barfi on top, then I suggest that you divide the recipe for barfi into two.