I feel terrible for neglecting my lovely little blog but unfortunately, real life often gets in the way of cake.
I am back from Mexico and after staying in a “gourmet inclusive” hotel (trust me, it’s the future) I’m suitably inspired with some new flavour combinations, some of which may or may not feature chilli and tequila…
Also back from her hols in Anna, winner of the Fantasy Cupcake competition. We’ve made arrangements to get together this coming weekend so keep your eyes peeled afterwards for the grand unveiling of the Honeytrap cupcakes. I can’t wait for you all to see them, they’re going to be some truly unique cupcakes!
Speaking of something different, you probably already know that my love of sweet things doesn’t stop at cupcakes. I love baking big cakes, cookies, biscuits, scones and pies as well. Thanks to my friend Zoe, I’ve re-ignited my passion for that old school dinner classic, chocolate concrete. She baked a gorgeous batch last weekend using a recipe found online and whilst it was delicious and tasted exactly as we remembered, we all commented that it was a bit too soft and cake-like.
Well, having played around with various recipes over the last week (particularly the amount of moisture going into it and the baking times/temperature) I reckon that I’ve cracked it. My version of this recipe is below. If any of you try it out, please let me know how it turned out or even better, send me a photo!
Chocolate Concrete
Ingredients:
250g plain flour (sifting not necessary unless there are major lumps)
215g baking margarine (don’t use real butter – something like Stork is best)
220g white sugar (caster or granulated, doesn’t matter)
60g cocoa powder
1 medium-sized egg
Pinch of salt
Method:
1 – Pre-heat your oven to 160°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Don’t be tempted to have it hotter as longer, cooler baking is the key to the perfect chocolate concrete texture.
2 – Lightly grease and sprinkle with flour a shallow baking tray. Something around 6 inches square is perfect.
3 – Melt the margarine in a saucepan over a low heat.
4 – Place the flour, sugar, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. If you’ve got a stand mixer, use that – it will make things so much easier!
5 – Slowly pour the melted margarine on to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. You don’t want this to rise, so try not to incorporate too much air into it.
6 – Beat the egg and add to the mixture, combining thoroughly. The end result should be a fairly stiff dough that looks like it will never turn into chocolate concrete. It will be glossy and look as though you’d have to press it together with your hands, which is exactly what you’re going to do.
7 – Turn the mixture out into the baking tray and use your knuckles to press it down and into the corners, until you have a solid sheet of dough.
8 – Sprinkle the top with a tiny bit of cold water (I used a squirt bottle to make sure I didn’t over wet it) and then scatter a large pinch of sugar over the top of that.
9 – Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes. Check it after 35; if you’ve ever had chocolate concrete you’ll just know by looking when it’s done but if you’re not sure, use a skewer or cocktail stick to be certain. If it comes out clean, it’s ready. If there’s any dough sticking to it, give it a few more minutes.
10 – Whilst the concrete is still hot, use a sharp knife to score around the edges and mark it out into slices. Then here’s the hardest part – LEAVE IT ALONE! Seriously, I know you’ll be dying to taste it but you’ve got to leave it in the tray until it’s completely cold or you’ll end up complaining that it’s too soft and cakey.
It’s not a complicated recipe at all and excluding the baking time, will take you just 10 – 15 minutes to put together. It’s nice eaten cold like a thick, chewy biscuit but every school kid knows that it’s best served with your choice of pink strawberry or green mint custard.
