This WW1 era chocolate cake, which features in the Countess of Dudley's 'A Second Dudley Book of Recipes' is exceptionally indulgent but is still light enough to keep you coming back for another slice. A perfect accompaniment to a cup of Rosie Lee.
Original Recipe: 'A Chocolate Cake' (Book 3, 1914)
Speed: 1 hour | Serves: 10
INGREDIENTS
226g butter, room temperature
226g granulated sugar
85g plain flour
113g ground almonds
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
226g grated chocolate, plus extra for decoration
7 eggs, separated
METHOD
1. Pre-heat oven to 160 °C (375 °F / Gas Mark 5).
2. Butter a 1lb loaf tin or 10-12 inch round cake tin and coat with baking paper.
Note: As is often the case with older cookbooks (particularly those written before c.1960), a preferred tin type and size has not been specified in the original recipe. We used a slightly smaller loaf tin than listed above, resulting in left over cake mix. The remaining mixture was added to a buttered madeleine tray and baked for 15 minutes, producing a loaf cake of 8-10 servings and 6 madeleines.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Add the yolks of the eggs to the mixture one by one.
5. Add the ground almonds, chocolate, flour and baking powder.
6. Whip the egg whites until you are able to form soft peaks, and then fold into the cake mixture.
7. Bake for about an hour and then remove from the oven.
Now leave to cool, and once it's at room temperature, tuck in! If you like, sprinkle some grated chocolate over the top as we did. We had a little extra left over.
Original Recipe for 'A Chocolate Cake'
'BOOK 3': A Second Dudley Book of Recipes (1914)
Collected and Arranged By: Georgina Ward, Countess of Dudley
Publisher: Hutchinson & Co. (Paternoster Row, London, England, U.K.)