A Slice of Spring

A Slice of Spring 

Princess Milou attended Majda's birthday party for the second time. We wanted to bake muffins for her but when the muffins rose and then fell flat in the center all together in harmony, and we immediately looked for another quick solution. I made a cocoa cake and prepared some chocolate sauce to top it with. We had bought some ground coconut in green colour and sugarpaste flowers and it was time we used them to create a garden of roses and other flowers on grass-like ground coconut. It was one of the easiest cake decorations we made but the cake was appealing to all the guest in the party in the end. They all liked it. It was quick enough too. Bake the cake, top it with chocolate sauce, sprinkle with ground coconut and place the flowers, that's it. Unfortunately, I was in such a rush that I could take only this photograph of the cake and called it 'a slice of spring'. 

Ingredients for Cocoa Cake

3 eggs

1,5 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt3 cups flour

butter for the cake pan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter and lightly flour a 24 cm round cake pan. In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add milk and eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated. Beat in vanilla.
3. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
4. Pour batter into the pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before inverting cakes onto rack to cool completely.
5. Make the buttercream: In mixing bowl, beat butter and marshmallow cream until fluffy. Beat in cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water. If too thin, refrigerate about 5 minutes.
6. Place one layer on platter. Spread top with 1 cup buttercream. Place second layer on top. Frost entire cake with remaining buttercream. 

   
   

   Ingredients for  Chocolate Sauce
   1/2 cup powdered chocolate

   2 tablespoons cocoa
   1cup milk 

   1 tablespoon all purpose flour

   1/2 tablespoon low fat butter

   3/4 cup granulated sugar

   
   

   Directions  for Chocolate Sauce

   
   

   In a small pan heat milk, flour, cocoa and sugar stirring constantly. Bring to the boil and continue to stir until all of the sugar has been dissolved.

   Add powdered chocolate and butter to the pan of milk, flour, cocoa and sugar and stir.

   Remove the pan from the heat and stir the sauce until the chocolate and butter have melted and all the ingredients have blended together.