Week 11 Theme: Mixed
Cookbook Used: Food We Love
Author: The Australian Women’s Weekly

I have a confession to make. I’m cheating this week (and my photos aren’t that great). I was going to make rib-eye with espresso and mushroom for the ‘mixed’ theme… but I ran out of time, and I could have cooked something else, but I really don’t have time or the energy to. So this is the cake I made for Hamsley’s birthday this week. It was ‘mixed’ with love and brut force, using my arms.
I chose to make this cake as he said he liked Cherry Ripes when I was flicking through this cookbook, yelling out things that sounded delicious, he exclaimed; ‘I like Cherry Ripes!’

This cake is not for anyone on a diet. Let’s face it; if you are on a diet, you should be no where near cake to begin with. No matter how low fat you have convinced yourself it is.
Let’s start with the first step: 250g butter, 2 cups of sugar, 200g dark chocolate, coffee and coconut milk….. last time I checked, no one lost weight living on foods like that.
However, I’ve never made a cake with coconut milk in it, so I knew it was going to be something special.

There was meant to be chocolate panels around the outside of the cake, but due to lack of time, and making this cake less fattening that it already was; I left them out. It would have looked rather spectacular though I think. I’m so glad I didn’t add the panels. I couldn’t even finish my slice of cake, it was that rich. Anymore more chocolate, and I would have entered a food coma.

Delicious moist, dense and chocolatey…. This one should be made once every 5 years or so, unless you want to enter a chocolate coma or become a contestant on The Biggest Loser in a hurry.

Cherry Ripe Mud Cake
Australian Women’s Weekly

Get your hands on:
250g butter, chopped
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 2/3 cups (400ml) coconut milk
200g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsley
2 cups (440g) caster sugar
3/4 cup (110g) self-raising flour
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 x 85g Cherry Ripe bars, chopped coarsley
200g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely, extra
125g butter, chopped, extra

Chocolate Panels
300g dark chocolate melts
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to slow (150°C / 130°C fan-forced). Grease deep 22cm-round cake pan; line base and side with baking paper.

2. Melt butter in large saucepan; add coffee, coconut milk, chocolate and sugar. Stir over heat until chocolate melts and sugar dissolves; cool to room temperature.

3. Whisk in sifted dry ingredients, then egg and extract; stir in half of the Cherry Ripe. Pour mixture into pan, top with remaining Cherry Ripe; bake about 1 3/4 hours. Stand cake 10 minutes; turn, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.

4. Combine extra chocolate and extra butter in small saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth. Refrigerate until mixture is spreadable.

5. Meanwhile, make chocolate panels.
Chocolate Panels: combine chocolate and oil in medium heatproof bowl; stir over medium saucepan of simmering water until smooth. Cut two 6cm x 50cm strips of baking paper. Spread chocolate evenly over strips; lift strips to allow chocolate to drip off paper. Allow chocolate to set, then, using a ruler as a guide, cut chocolate into 4cm panels with a sharp knife. Carefully peel away baking paper.
Tip: You can also melt the chocolate for the chocolate panels in a microwave oven; melt on medium (55%) about 1 minute, stirring twice during cooking. Stir in the oil once the chocolate has melted.

6. Spread the chocolate mixture all over cake; place chocolate panels around side of cake. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Serves 12.