Ultimate Chocolate Cake Challenge

I've often been tempted to try out various blog cooking challenges and yet have found excuses not to each time...

Most times I'll blame it on how busy I am with life in general...

Or I'll use my lack of experience as a reason...

And sometimes I mean well...I'll have an idea all sorted out in my head...get all excited about it...put it off for a little while... and then I'll wake up and realise I've missed the deadline.

Then a week ago I came across a The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Challenge on Not Quite Nigella's Blog and I made a promise to myself to try it even though I've probably made chocolate cake a total of 5times...I after all am not a baking girl...I much prefer cooking and using savoury ingredients...but that is what a challenge is...if I were good at it then it would be no challenge at all!

So I looked through a bunch of recipes to find a general moist chocolate base and then I decided to put my own quirky spin on it...I was thinking spicy...and different...so initially I was going to do a ginger chocolate cake with a dark chocolate chilli frosting...so I started mixing up my batter...and I opened up the fridge to grab the creme fraiche and I saw a tub of dried cranberries...and inspiration hit!!

And my ultimate chocolate cake was born:

Cranberry-Ginger Chocolate Cake with a White Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

200g Self-Raising Flour
280g Brown Sugar
70g Cocoa Powder
2tsp Baking Powder
4tsp Ginger Powder
Pinch of Salt
70g Oil
4 Small Eggs
200ml Creme Fraiche
4tbsp Applesauce
4tbsp Chocolate Chips
4tbsp Chopped Dried Cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 175c and rub the cake pan with margarine
2. Put the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, ginger powder, and salt in a bowl
3. In another bowl whisk together the oil and eggs. Stir in the creme fraiche and applesauce and mix till even
4. Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and mix with a fork
5. Add in the chocolate chips and cranberries and work it through the batter
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake it in the oven for 40-45mins. Leave to cool for 20mins before removing the cake from the tin then leave to cool completely before putting on the frosting

Frosting:

60oz Chopped White Chocolate
8oz Cream Cheese at room temperature
4tbs Butter at room temperature
1tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Confectioners Sugar

1. Microwave the chocolate for 1min and then stir till smooth. Set aside to cool.
2. Beat the cream cheese and butter till smooth
3. Add melted chocolate and blend on low. Add vanilla and the sugar and blend.
4. When the frosting takes on a fluffy consistency it's ready to spread on the cake

This cake ended up being delicious...extremely rich and moist with a hint of a spiciness and a touch of sweet sour fruitiness...the white chocolate cream cheese frosting pulled it all together and gave it that added decadence! This recipe is a definite keeper!