Chocolate, Prune & Walnut cake (incomplete)

Ingredients

  • 250 gm pitted prunes
  • 3 tbsp cognac / brandy
  • melted butter for greasing the form/mould
  • 3 tbsp flaked almonds to prepare form (to sprinkle on form to make sure the cake doesn’t stick to the form)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 + 1/4 cups caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
  • 1 + 1/4 cups thickened cream
  • 2 cups self raising flour
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • icing sugar for dusting
  • 3 tbsp cherry jam
  • cocoa

Method;

  1. cut up & soak them prunes in brandy
  2. dust tin with melted butter and sprinkle flaked almonds
  3. beat eggs with castor sugar and lemon rind until thick & pale
  4. stir in cream & gently fold in flour
  5. remove about 1/3rd of the mixture
  6. combine jam & cocoa, plums and walnuts and stir into remaining mixture
  7. spoon into prepared mold
  8. pour plain mixture into mold
  9. stir with knife to get marbled effect

(need a few last steps here…)

Cooking steaks…

Steak (300g sirloin)

Medium heat
Drizzle with olive oil
Sprinkle with sea salt & pepper
8 min – medium rare (4 min each side, rotate 90 degrees each 2 min)
16 min – medium
32 min – well done

After cooking, brush with oil & thyme
Sprinkle with sea salt

Rare

– lean cut (eg. eye fillet)

season with salt & pepper over medium-hot grill
3-4 mins on each side

Medium

t-bone
4 mins on each side
rest for at least 2 mins

Well done

rump steak
salt & peper
when firm to touch take off grill
should be grey-brown all through

Babovka (Cake)

Ingredients:

  1. 240g butter
  2. 1 & 1/4 cup sugar
  3. 5 Eggs (separate whites from yolks)
  4. 2 & 1/4 cups plain flour
  5. 1 cup milk
  6. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  7. 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
  8. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  9. 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  10. oil for pan

Method

  1. Mix butter & sugar
  2. Add eggs yolks
  3. Beat till light & creamy
  4. Mix in flour & milk alternatively
  5. Add baking powder into last 1/2 cup of flour
  6. Blend in lemon peel & vanilla
  7. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites
  8. Pour 1/2 batter into another bowl and add in chocolate
  9. Pour in batter in 4 alternating light & dark layers
  10. Cut through with a spoon for marbled effect
  11. Bake in preheated 200 degrees oven for 60-75 mins
  12. Cool in pan for 15 mins, then turn out
  13. Sprinkle in icing sugar