Chocolate Cravings: Hazelnut Mud Cake

Whenever a person craves something rich and chocolatey their thoughts invariably turn to the mudcake, eponymous with indulgence. Throwing away the fluffy, light angelic nature of the traditional chocolate cake, mudcakes are sinfully rich. This version, however shies away from the denseness of Mississippi mudcakes, and instead we opt for a moist, melt in your mouth consistency. The brain says no but the heart has already taken a bite.

Serves 10

Cooking Time
4 hours total including waiting for the cake to cool

Background on the dish
The mudcake originated in the 1970's and derives from the fudge brownie. Created in the United States (who else could come up with such a side splitting cake), the original version, the Mississippi mudcake, is so named because the cake resembled the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. Today, mudcakes are as varied as they are tasty, with popular twists including orange, caramel and white chocolate versions.

Ingredients
Cake

• 3 Eggs
• 225 grams Butter
• 250 grams self raising flour
• 150 grams hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts)
• 600ml water
• 375grams dark chocolate, chopped
• 400 grams castor sugar

Icing

• 225 grams dark chocolate, chopped
• 165ml double cream
• Pinch chilli powder

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowl
• Baking Paper
• Oven
• Springform Tin or Cake Tin
• Wooden Spoon
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Whisk or electric mixer
• Cooling Rack

Cake

• Preheat fan forced oven to 170 degrees celsius.
• Grease and line a cake pan or springform pan.

• Melt the butter, chocolate and water in a saucepan over low heat until combined. Set aside to cool
• Lightly whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl.
• Add cooled chocolate mixture, whisking as the mixture is poured in.
• Add sugar, hazelnut meal and flour and whisk until well combined.

• Pour cake mixture into cake pan and bake in the oven for 75 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Leave in the tin for 5 minutes to cool and then place on wire rack to cool

Icing

• Add the cream and chopped chocolate to a saucepan and heat over low heat, constantly stirring, until cream and chocolate are combined and smooth.
• Spread the icing over the cooled cake.
• Leave the icing to set then transfer to serving plate.
• Serve with fresh raspberries and double cream.

What i learnt

• The original recipe that i derived this from stated 45 minutes cooking time; my cake was still completely uncooked at this stage. Cooking for 75 minutes, the cake still came out moist and just barely cooked in the centre
• Not being a massive chocolate fan myself, i am kicking myself for not adding a slug of grand marnier to the recipe
• I hate cutting baking paper into a circle to line the tin; instead i simply line the base of my springform pan, attach the sides, and then trim off the paper that sticks out the side. Perfect lining!
• This cake is best enjoyed at room temperature to take advantage of the moistness of the cake
  

Creole Cuisine: Red Beans & Rice

Red beans and rice incorporate the holy trinity of cuisine (celery, capsicum and onion) with kidney beans and smoked meats to create a cajun style, creamily textured stew, which makes for great comfort or winter food. The closest i can come to describing the taste is as a mix of frijoles and pea and ham soup.

Serves 5

Cooking Time
5 hours excluding soaking the beans overnight

Background on the dish
Red beans and rice is the emblematic dish of Louisiana Creole cuisine, and also be found as a staple food in Central America. It was traditional made on Monday or 'wash day' and left on the stove to cook away with ham leftover from the previous night, whilst the housekeepers washed the week's clothing.