Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Todays Savings Secret....bake!

 
Best ever Chocolate Cake!
 
This one recipe has literally saved me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in bought café treats, canteen cakes for my daughter, birthday and other celebration cakes, and cakes to gift. It really is the best ever.
 
Just one batch of these would retail for up to $70 at a cutesy cupcake or muffin outlet, and the ingredients cost less than $6! Better the change in my pocket than theirs, I think.
 
I make this cake in some form or another, at least once a month. It gets turned into choc caramel muffins as above, which I make simply by half filling the muffin pans, adding a teaspoonful of Nestle` Caramel Top 'n Fill, and topping with more cake batter. It becomes birthday cake. In a heart shaped tin, it's a Valentines Day dessert without equal. As a loaf cake, iced with pastel green peppermint icing, and garnished with fresh mint, it's a gorgeous addition to an afternoon tea. Frosted with piped butter icing, it becomes pretty cupcakes for my granddaughters.
 
By leaving the cocoa out and adding vanilla extract, it becomes the most sublime white cake ever. It's perfect with or without icing, and most times I just dust it with a little icing sugar (powdered sugar for my U.S. friends) and sprinkle with edible rose petals as seen here.
 
In short, you need no other cake recipe and you'll never buy another boxed cake mix....well except to make my cake mix cookies found here!
 
This is quite a runny mixture so don't be put off when it seems less thick than your usual cake batter. Also be aware that the temperature of the oven is deliberately lower than usual.
 
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Cocoa
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Eggs
 1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup milk combined with 1/2 cup yoghurt
 1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1½ Teaspoons Vanilla Extract or Essence
1 Cup Boiling Water

Preheat Oven to 150C.
 Lightly grease and flour a 22cm x 35cm (or thereabouts) baking dish or grease, flour and line a similar sized cake tin. You can also use this to make cupcakes or muffins or loaves.
Place all the ingredients above into a mixing bowl.
Mix at medium or medium high speed until all ingredients are blended and smooth.
Pour into greased and floured pans.
Bake for 1 hr.
Test by sticking with knife. If it comes out clean, it's done!
Allow to cool.
 
Perfection!
 
Why would you buy café` treats at up to $8 each, or pack your childrens lunch boxes with inferior mass produced treats in icky wrapping, when you could bake this cake, in whichever form you prefer, and save you hip pocket and your taste buds, a whole lotta trouble....
 
...Mimi...

...Mimi...
 

28 comments:

  1. My grandmother always had a go-to recipe for all her baking needs, and would customize it for different occasions. How clever of you to do the same!

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    1. Thankyou! I'm so glad you dropped in and I appreciate your lovely comment...xxx

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  2. Oh I can't look, Mimi. I am going off suger to bring my high cholesterol down. :-( Looks delicious though.

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  3. Yum!!! You really got me with the chocolate loaf and pale minty icing!!! So nice to have people over for cake, too...,just hinting! ;Dxx

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    1. I am free in a few weeks for chocolate cake and pale minty icing Flora....just say the word...xxx

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  4. This looks like a wonderful recipe. I think I might use it for Valentines Day. When you see a slice of cake is x number of dollars in a cafe and you work out how many slices you have in your cake then well you have a cake that is probably at least $50 (probably more like $80) when bought out. Its incredible how some flour eggs sugar etc (which cost so little) convert into something so good. Plus if you bake someone a cake it shows so much love! When I make this Ill send you a picture of how it turns out! Thank you!xx

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    1. It's gorgeous Annabel. You will love it. And I love what you say about a few simple ingredients becoming something so luxurious. Send me your photos when you've made your cake and I'll include it as a feature. I know your work....it will be beautiful for sure!...xxx

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  5. I love chocolate! This looks awesome. I'm a new food blogger and found you on a link party. I've followed your social sites and hope we can connect on those. Can't wait to read more of your blog. Becky

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  6. Thanks Becky! I've linked up with you on your blog and on Pinterest. I'll be following with glee! Love your work so far....Mimi...xxx

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  7. My Mother uses this recipe but we use strong hot coffee instead of water, in the chocolate version. It's the best!
    Marybeth

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    1. That's a great idea Marybeth! Thankyou. Mimi xxx

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  8. What a fantastic recipe Mimi, thank you for sharing with us.

    I use a similar recipe for chocolate cake, that uses olive oil, and it is so moist. I am going to give your recipe a try, it sounds delightful.

    xTania

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    1. That sounds good to Tania! Let me know what the family think of this one :)

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  9. Well Mimi I tried your recipe last night....What a simply delightful cake, everyone loved it!! My 18yo son can be hard to please sometimes, but not with this one :)

    I made a large slab and I considered putting icing on top, but in the end decided to have yummy whipped cream with it instead. Oh my, this is 100% yummier that my cake, and I thought mine was nice!!

    Thank you so much for this recipe Mimi xx

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    1. That's wonderful Tania! I'm so pleased you all liked it...xxx

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  10. This sounds wonderful I am a novice cook so just a few questions I presume it is plain flour and is it fan forced or normal oven Many thanks I love your blog Thank you

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    1. Hi there! Yes it's plain flour and a fan forced oven. Increase the temperature by 10C if you have a normal oven. Thanks for your lovely comment...Mimi xxx

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  11. A friend use to put a jersey caramel in her chocolate muffins. I may try this when I try the recipe.

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  12. Last time you shared a yummy recipe of the best chocolate cake and it looked amazing, stop by for another Fabulous Friday and share another amazing post.
    Thanks Maria
    http://www.simplenaturedecorblog.com/fabulous-friday-party-24/

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  13. The recipe sounds amazing! Will try it.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

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  14. Thanks for sharing this. I will give it a go one weekend. It looks yummy.

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  15. Another great recipe, Mimi! I have a friend who is allergic to eggs so this would be a good recipe. I have hers and it is much like this one. It's a lot of sugar but it's not overly sweet when baked up. Thanks for sharing and joining me for tea.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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I love hearing from you! I always respond to comments, so don't be shy! Mimi xxx