Julie asked me to provide the recipe I would use if the prime minister came to afternoon tea. I went through all my recipes and rejected them all, as each had a procedure that I imagined blind people might find difficult. After a couple of trials I came up with this recipe that really is simple, quick and has a lovely depth of flavour.
The coffee mingles with the cocoa to give the cake its richness and deep, dark colour, but the cake is definitely chocolate in flavour. I usually give all my recipe measurements in grams as this gives a more reliable result. However, I discovered that electronic talking scales cost $221, so they will not be readily available to all. So, for this recipe I converted my measurements to cups.
For the coffee in this cake, I used two rounded teaspoons of dark, espresso-type instant coffee. Steeping the raisins in the hot, buttery coffee allows them to absorb these flavours and plump up beautifully before being added to the cake. You can, of course, use any dried fruit in place of the raisins. I have substituted dried cranberries and chopped New Zealand dried apricots and both were delicious.
1 cup hot strong black coffee
70g butter, cut into pieces
90g raisins, generous half-cup
200g standard flour, 1 1/4 cups
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup cocoa powder (30g)
¾ cup sugar (180g)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Preheat the oven to 170degC.
Line the base of a round 20cm cake tin with non-stick baking paper. Lightly oil the sides.
Pour the hot coffee into a medium-sized heatproof jug or mixing bowl. Add the butter and raisins and leave to soak for about 10 minutes, or less if time is short.
Sift the flour, baking soda and cocoa powder together in a large bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Add the red wine vinegar and the vanilla essence to the liquid ingredients and stir.
Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into the prepared tin, and bake at 170degC for 40-45 minutes until the top feels springy to the touch, Cool in the cake tin on a rack.
When cool, slide a knife between the side of the tin and the cake to loosen it. Invert the cake on to a wire rack and peel off the baking paper.
Turn right side up. Store in an airtight container. This cake will keep for up to six days. Store in a cool place.
Makes a 20cm round cake. Cuts into 12-16 pieces.
This cake needs no icing but if you wish to gild the lily, a basic chocolate or lemon icing would be suitable. However, I do confess to swirling this totally divine chocolate fudge frosting over the top and its creaminess suits the cake perfectly.
I use low-fat Philadelphia cream cheese, as it has fewer calories than other brands.
250g icing sugar, approximately 1¾ cups
2½ Tbsp cocoa powder
¼ cup low-fat cream cheese (spreadable variety), at room temperature
3-4 tsp orange or lemon juice or a liqueur of your choice. Grand Marnier is good.
Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a large mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese and three teaspoons of juice or liqueur. Mix or beat until smooth, adding extra juice or liqueur if needed.
Spread frosting on completely cooled cake.
