Cake

At Christmas I made Tunis Cake, Mary Berry’s Tunis Cake and if I say so myself if came out really well. The lemon cake off set by the chocolate ganache, it was a big cake so small slices were the order of the day. It kept well and there are even pieces still lingering in the freezer for hubby’s lunch.

Here is the recipe

Mary Berry’s Tunis Cake

• 225g softened butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• 70g ground almonds
• 4 large eggs
• finely grated zest of 1 large lemon

For the topping

• 300ml double cream
• 400g plain chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 200g natural marzipan
• red food paste colouring
• green food paste colouring

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.  Grease and line a 20cm deep cake tin with baking parchment.
2. Measure the butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, eggs and lemon zest into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed for 1 minute. Spoon into the prepared cake tin and level the surface with a palette knife or spatula.
3. Bake for 45 minutes, cover with foil to prevent the top from browning and cook for a further 15 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.
4. Pour the cream into a small pan and bring almost to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until melted. When cool but not setting pour the chocolate mixture over the cooled cake and put aside to set.
5. To decorate, colour 175g of the marzipan with green food colouring to turn it the colour of holly leaves.  Using a holly leaf shaped cutter, cut out 20 holly leaves. Mark the veins with a knife and lay over a rolling pin and leave to dry. Colour the remaining marzipan with the red food colouring and roll into 30 ‘berry’ size balls.  Leave to dry. (I did not do this part)
6.  To serve,  remove the cake from the tin and carefully peel off the parchment paper so that you get a clean line between the cake and the chocolate layer. Arrange the holly leaves and berries in a wreath around the edge of the cake

Now I don’t wish to pick holes in Queen Mary’s instructions as I fear this must be a hanging offence, BUT this would be easier in a loose bottom tin, as tipping it out on to the ganache is impossible-surely? Unless of course you like that cow pat look in a cake!

Wanted to run 9 miles today, common sense took over (not a common occurrence) due to wet weather conditions, ran 3 and got wet. Again.