chocolate cake with beetroot

this is a great cake but maybe you do have to like beetroot because there is a pleasant earthy taste that runs alongside the dark chocolate that would probably taste distinctly beetrooty to someone who is not a fan. i am a fan and i found this cake a pleasure to make and eat.

the cake

125g butter

75g dark chocolate pieces

300g soft light brown sugar

3 eggs

225g self raising flour

1/4 tsp salt50g cocoa powder250g cooked beetroot, grated

grated white chocolate

double cream to serve

preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4

grease a loose bottomed 23cm tin and line the base with greaseproof paper

melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.

beat the sugar, butter and eggs ina separate bowl. stir in the melted chocolate, fold in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. once combined, add the beetroot and stir.

carefully transfer the mixture into your cake tin and bake for 45 minutes. it is ready when your skewer comes out almost clean. leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. turn it onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

the icing

150g dark chocolate pieces

135ml double cream

5 tbsp icing sugar

put all the ingredients in a bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water. stir it altogether then take off the heat. stir quickly until you have a smooth and glossy mixture. leave to cool and thicken.

spread the icing over the cake and top with grated chocolate.

serve with whipped double cream.

thanks to diana henry, mrs. ramsay and daniella's sister who first introduced me to vegetables and chocolate. yum!

i suspect...

i suspect that the romantic rose and pistachio bar will run away with the cocoa bean bar valentine sales award this year though i wouldn't be too quick to write off the aphrodisiac qualities of the chilli and pink peppercorn. those living in the glen, who are in the know, will put the smart money on glamorous g and t - the runaway winner every year. come on rose and pistachio - you're my favourite!!!!

lemon curd truffles and experiments with vinegar

i made lemon curd on the same night as i was making truffles for a friends 40th birthday party and i joined them in beautiful union! 60% ganache with single cream, a good dollop of lemon curd (easy recipe below) and enrobed in lovely dark, dark chocolate. they were perfect.

i remember eating a divine chococo lemon curd truffle a couple of years ago and now wonder why it has taken so long to try one myself. then i started experimenting with vinegar and made the most beautiful chocolate ganache with rich undertones of thick and sweet seggiano balsamic, almost like a winter walk through the woods but much warmer...

recipe for lemon curd - inspired by tana ramsay's recipe in home-made, this is very easy although my mum's lemon curd is the best in the world (but more complicated.)

30g cornflour

50g caster sugar

300ml water

zest and juice of two lemons (i always use unwaxed when zesting)

2 large egg yolks

put cornflour and sugar into a medium saucepan and gradually stir in the water, mixing all the time. firstly it will go into a smoothe paste and then into a cloudy liquid. add the lemon zest. bring to the boil, stirring all the time. when it starts to boil, the liquid will become thick and lose its cloudiness. simmer for a few more minutes and then remove from the heat. add the lemon juice and stir well.

irish blog awards

the nominations for the irish blog awards are open until february 5th. if you fancy nominating us, just click on the link! http://awards.ie/blogawards/

lola's late lollies

this recipe came from the december issue of 'favourites' a magazine someone bought lola to keep her occupied in the run up to christmas. we'd been planning to make the biscuit lollipops on christmas eve morning but as it turned out i was otherwise engaged as i was in the throes of labour! so lola ended up making them with chris, lucy and mum in the gap between christmas and new year and we enjoyed eating them at elsie's birthday party.

ours were christmas trees as per the recipe but we have since made them as hearts, snowflakes and clouds (we are eating a fair few biscuits to ward off the cold weather!). We have stopped sandwiching them together to make lollipops because, to tell the truth, it makes them disturbingly large! they are lovely as a single layer but if you do want to lollipop them use a bit more melted chocolate to stick 2 biscuits back to back with a lollipop stick (or a wooden coffee stirrer from a coffee shop) inbetween.

ingredients

225g self raising flour

100g caster sugar

3 tbsp cocoa powder

100g butter or margarine

5 tbsp milk

3 drops of vanilla extract

100-200g milk chocolate (depending on if you're making lollipops)

100g white chocolate

2 tubes of smarties or similar

method

1. preheat the oven to 190c and grease 2 baking trays

2. mix the flour, sugar, cocoa and rub in the butter.

3. add the vanilla and milk and mix well, combine the mixture with your hands and then knead on a lightly floured surface to form a dough.

4. roll the dough so its 0.5cm thick and use the cutters to make the biscuit shapes.

5.bake on the preprepared trays for 8-10 minutes. cool on a wire rack.

6. gently melt the milk chocolate, coat each biscuit- pair them up with the sticks if you are making lollipops, and let them set.

7. decorate with melted white chocolate and smarties.

cherry custard tart

i got a really good quality tart/flan tin from my mum for christmas and was looking for a chance to try it out. i wanted to use up the cherries in the freezer that we had picked from the trees in our local park. this recipe worked superbly except that the cherries were far too sour. last summer we had eaten them straight from the tree and i seem to remember them being sweet enough. anyway, i thought their tartness might be the perfect accompaniment to the sweetness of the custard but i was wrong! so, i recommend you wait for cherry season and make this with eaters rather than cooking cherries (unless of course you get to pick up some ludicrously out of season reduced bargain in the local supermarket.)

remember to leave at least an hour to chill the pastry and an hour for the tart to set.

pastry crust:
250g plain flour

125g softened butter
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp granulated sugar
a pinch of salt

filling:
500g pitted cherries (not cooking cherries!)
2 eggs, beaten
125g whipping cream
60g plain flour
75g granulated sugar
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
1 tbsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

grease a 23 cm tart tin with removable bottom.

place flour in bowl and make a well in the centre. add butter, egg yolk, sugar and salt and mix with a fork until the mixture is smooth. gradually stir in the flour to a make dough that holds together. press into a disc and wrap it in clingfilm in the fridge for about 1 hour.

roll out the pastry into 28 cm circle. fit it into the tart tin. trim it to leave about 2.5cm overhang which you need to fold over inside the tin and press gently.

spread the cherries over the pastry. whisk together the eggs, cream, flour, sugar, lemon rind, vanilla and salt. pour the mixture over the cherries. bake on a baking tray in the bottom of the oven at 190ºC for about 40/45 minutes until golden and the tip of a knife inserted into the custard comes out clean. Let cool on rack.

leave the tart at room temperature for up to 1 hour.

it looked so beautiful. i will try it again in the summer with fruit from my mum's eating cherry tree. i might try it sooner with frozen raspberries. watch this space...

snow baby

it's snowing again - we only managed to move our car off the hill yesterday and now there's a fresh covering. last week everyone was sent home early, full of excitement and eager to be out on the sledge! today schools are open as usual and the snow seems like old news. even iris wasn't going to let it interrupt her nap. but despite all the negatives, i am thrilled when I look out of the window and see it's still snowing. the venom i feel for the person who announces that it will turn to sleet is probably out of all proportion...