It’s a winner isn’t it? The idea of a good, rich cake, its gooeyness cut by tangy ice cream? Heaven to me. It’s like eating hot Christmas pudding with cold, cold cream. (My mum’s light Christmas pudding though, no other.)
This week, my husband has been working stupid hours. Such long hours, in fact, that I’ve barely seen him for more than half an hour at a time. He’s not been home before midnight most nights, some nights it’s been 2am. So if anyone deserved cake, it’s him.
I had made Nigella’s Chocolate Olive Oil cake earlier in the week but the poor man hadn’t had a chance to eat it. As he was magically home before 9pm yesterday, it was time for Cake. I had made the ice cream earlier in the week too.
Caramel Condensed Milk Ice cream
1 can Caramel Condensed milk
1 pot Tim’s Dairy Greek yoghurt
1 cup crushed meringues
1 tsp vanilla extract
Whisk the yoghurt, the condensed milk (save 2 tbs) and extract together, trying to get some air in.
Stir in the meringue pieces. (I had some power, some pieces, all sorts.)
Pour all of this into a freezer container. I used an empty ice cream tub.
Dot the top with the rest of the condensed milk, and swirl it through so you have toffee trails.
Freeze overnight and take out of the freezer about 1/2 an hour before serving. There are no ice crystals, but it can set very solid!
Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (with my own tweaks of course)
50 grams cocoa powder (good quality, sifted)
125 ml boiling water
1 teaspoon(s) best vanilla extract*
1 teaspoon rose extract*
1 tsp cinnamon extract*
200 gram soft light brown muscovado sugar
3 eggs
150 gram(s) ground almonds
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Pinch salt
150 ml light olive oil (plus more for greasing)
1 22 or 23cm springform cake tin, the sides greased and the base lined
Mix the cocoa, boiling water and extracts together. Whisk well so there are no lumps and then leave to cool.
Whisk the eggs, oil and sugar together until they look paler and more creamy. I whisked for a good ten minutes.
Mix in the almonds, bicarb and a pinch of salt.
Pour in the cocoa mixture, and mix very well.
Pour that lot into a lined springform cake tin. Don’t worry, it really is that runny.
Bake at 170C/Gas 3 for 45 minutes. (I have a fan oven, so cooked it at 160C)
Leave it to cool in the tin.
Serve with the ice-cream, making sure to post photos on Twitter late at night so that you can make folks hungry.
This slice of cake was eaten on election night because I was anxious
This cake and ice cream was eaten to celebrate seeing my husband properly for the first time in days.
*The extracts used were Star Kay White’s. They are amazing.
COOKWITCH'S CREATIONS 