I’m not sure how to describe, but there is something different about the Lana Cake Shop and Awfully Chocolate style of Chocolate Cake! I’ve always wondered how they achieve the fluffy rich chocolate cake and the frosting that seems like a cross between fudge and pudding. When I saw this recipe I was quite intrigued about the ingredients and decided to give it a try. I have never really used Hong Kong Flour, Optima sponge cake, green bean flour and chocolate emulco in any recipe before.
Things I liked about this cake: the texture was really great! One of the fluffiest chocolate cakes I’ve had, and a richer flavour than my chocolate chiffon cake here. The fudge texture was also nice – really enjoyed the smooth mouthfeel, without being overly sweet. It tastes even better after chilling in the fridge – almost like ice cream without the dairy. I did not like the chocolate emulco as much. There was something a little too artificial that I couldn’t shake off. It was fine in the cake, but not the fudge frosting. I had to include more vanilla extract, a shot of espresso, and sea salt to balance out the flavours. I’ll try it again, omitting the chocolate emulco next time and intensifying the chocolate flavour by using higher quality chocolate. Might try malt powder if going for the nostalgic chocolate taste.
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Lana-Inspired Chocolate Fudge Cake For the chocolate cake: (B) (C) For the fudge frosting:
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To make Chocolate Cake: Pre-heat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease and line only the bottom of a 9-inch square tin. Sift the ingredients in (A) together into a medium bowl. Set aside. For mixture (B), place egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on high speed till pale and thickened. Add oil, water, chocolate emulco and beat briefly on low speed till well mixed. Add mixture (A) to mixture (B) and beat on low speed till evenly mixed, about 45 seconds. Set aside. For mixture (C), place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, along with the cream of tartar. On medium-high speed, beat till frothy, then gradually add the sugar. Whisk till stiff peaks form, about 3 mins. Transfer a third of mixture (C) to the chocolate batter and gently fold in with a spatula till almost incorporated. Add the remaining mixture (C) and gently fold in till everything is evenly mixed together. Pour batter into the prepared baking tin and bake for 30 to 45 mins, or until the centre of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Remove cake from the oven and cool in its tin for 10 mins, before carefully unmoulding it. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. To make Fudge Frosting: To make fudge frosting, place water in a medium pot. Remove a ladle of water and transfer to a small bowl, along with the hun kwee (or tapioca starch). Whisk the mixture till it dissolves. Set aside. Place the rest of the ingredients in the pot with the water over medium heat. Stir till it starts to come to a boil. Take it off the heat; place the starch mixture to the pot and whisk till it all comes to a gentle boil and thickens. Remove pot from the heat and set aside to cool at room temperature. To assemble: Once cake is cool, carefully slice it in half cross-wise with a serrated knife. Set one cake layer on a cooling rack above a tray or sheet of greaseproof paper. Ladle the fudge frosting over one cake layer so that it covers the top and sides of the cake. Use a palate knife to smear the frosting around the cake evenly. Gently place the second cake layer on top and ladle remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, using a palate knife to smoothen it out. Swirl palate knife over the surface of the cake to create a gentle pattern. Place in the refrigerator to set completely, for at least two hours. This cake will keep in the fridge for up to five days. |
My Dose of Sugar 