I have misplaced my baking skills. Can anyone find them?

Let me preface this story by simply stating that I love baking. I’m just not very good at it!

Last week I made Nigella’s Guinness cake, except I didn’t weigh out all my ingredients beforehand so when my scales conked out when I was weighing the last vital ingredient the cake mix started cooking in the pan and didn’t rise in the oven. Cake fail number one – but one which I understood where my failings lay.

Yesterday I decided to follow this recipe* to make Chocolate Beetroot cake. I followed the recipe to the letter! I baked it for 45 minutes and did the listening to the top of the cake trick. The result?



The entire middle of the cake was uncooked. I was tricked because the top had browned and looked baked but I didn’t do the stick-a-knife-in-it trick. Lesson learned for next time! Admittedly it was still a tasty cake so I can’t complain too much. I am somewhat worried that I’m blogging more about my craft failings than my craft successes though!

*Here’s the recipe

Chocolate beetroot cake

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

75g cocoa powder or powdered drinking chocolate
180g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
225g caster sugar
250g cooked beetroot
3 large eggs
200ml sunflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180˚C / 335˚F / Gas 4. Sift the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder into a bowl.

Puree the beetroot in a food processor. Add the eggs, one at a time and next add the vanilla and oil, and blend until smooth. Add the sugar to the mixture.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the beetroot mixture and lightly mix.

Pour into a greased and lined 9 inch cake tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is firm when pressed with a finger.

Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar to serve.

This cake can be sliced lengthways and spread with an even layering of crème fraiche and chocolate ganache.

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Posted under baking, recipes