Chocolate Sponge Recipe Mary Berry

MARY BERRY'S CHOCOLATE STEAMED PUDDING WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Grease it with baking spread, then cut a small square of baking paper (about the size of the base of the bowl), grease it and place in the base of the basin, pressing it into the corners. 2. Measure all the pudding ingredients into a mixing bowl. Whisk with an electric hand whisk until well blended, light and fluffy. Spoon the mixture into the basin and level the top. 3. Cut a square of foil about 4cm (1½in) bigger than the top rim of the pudding and grease the underside with butter. Make a pleat in the middle of the square. Place it on top of the basin and tightly press around the edges, then tie with string to seal. 4. Put a small plate or a trivet in the base of a deep saucepan. Place the basin on top and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides and cover with a lid. Bring the water back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 1½-1¾ hours until firm to touch on top when gently pressed. 5. To make the chocolate sauce, measure the milk and cream into a saucepan. Heat until just boiling, then add the chocolate and vanilla. Remove the pan from the heat and stir until the chocolate has melted. 6. Carefully remove the basin from the pan and take off the foil. To turn out, loosen around the edges with a knife, then turn upside down on to a plate and remove the bowl. Remove the paper on top. Pour some warm sauce over the pudding and cut into wedges. Serve the remaining sauce in a jug.

MARY BERRY'S CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C, gas 4. Beat together the eggs, flour, caster sugar, butter, and baking powder until smooth in a large mixing bowl.
• Put the cocoa powder in a separate mixing bowl, and add the water a little at a time to make a stiff paste. Add to the cake mixture.
• Turn into the prepared tins, level the top, and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 mins, or until shrinking away from the sides of the tin and springy to the touch.
• Leave to cool in the tin, then turn on to a wire rack to become completely cold before icing.
• To make the icing: measure the cream and chocolate into a bowl and carefully melt over a pan of hot water over a low heat, or gently in the microwave for 1 min (600w microwave). Stir until melted, then set aside to cool a little and to thicken up.
• To ice the cake: spread the apricot jam on the top of each cake. Spread half of the ganache icing on the top of the jam on one of the cakes, then lay the other cake on top, sandwiching them together.
• Use the remaining ganache icing to ice the top of the cake in a swirl pattern. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

MARY BERRY'S EASY VICTORIA SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins. Use a piece of baking paper to rub a little butter around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated, then line the bottom with a circle of baking paper.
• Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, baking powder and butter. Mix together until well combined with an electric hand mixer (you can also use a wooden spoon), but be careful not to over mix. Put a damp cloth under your bowl when you're mixing to stop it moving around. The finished mixture should fall off a spoon easily.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the tins: this doesn't need to be exact, but you can weigh the filled tins if you want to check. Use a spatula to remove all of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.
• Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes. Check them after 20 minutes. The cakes are done when they're golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them gently to check - they should be springy to the touch. Set aside to cool in their tins for 5 minutes. Run a palette or rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tins and carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
• To assemble the cake, place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with plenty of jam. If you want to, you can spread over whipped cream too. Top with the second cake, top-side up. Sprinkle over the caster sugar.

MARY'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Lightly butter two loose-bottomed 20cm/8in sandwich tins and line the bases with baking paper.
• Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and cocoa in a large bowl and beat for 2 minutes, or until just blended. (An electric mixer is best for this, but you can also beat by hand using a wooden spoon.)
• Divide the mixture evenly between the tins. Level the surface using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes. The tops of the cakes should spring back when pressed lightly with a finger. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Run a small palette knife around the edge of the tins, then carefully turn the cakes out onto a wire rack. Peel off the paper and leave to cool completely.
• Choose the cake with the best top, then put the other cake top-down onto a serving plate. Spread with the jam and whipped cream, put the other cake on top (top upwards) and sprinkle with caster sugar to serve.

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins with baking parchment.
• Put the cocoa powder and boiling water into a large bowl and mix well to make a paste. Add the remaining ingredients and beat again until combined. This can also be done in a food processor, but take care not to over whisk. Divide the cake mixture between the prepared tins. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until well risen and shrinking away from the sides of the tin.
• Meanwhile, for the icing and filling, measure the chocolate and cream together in a bowl and stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water for about 10 minutes, or until melted. Stir from time to time. Set aside and leave until cool.
• Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out the tins onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Spread the tops of each cake with apricot jam. Fill the cakes with half of the icing and spread the remainder on top. Draw large "S" shapes over the cake with a palatte knife to give a swirl effect. Dust with icing sugar and serve in slices.

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line two 20cm (8in) sandwich tins.
• Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and, if it starts to curdle, add a little sugar. Fold in the remaining flour and the cocoa powder with a metal spoon.
• Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for approx. 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and leave to cool before turning out onto a cooling rack.
• To make the butter icing, place the butter in a bowl and beat until soft. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar and then add enough milk / water to make the icing fluffy and spreadable. Sift and beat the cocoa powder in to the icing and use it to sandwich the two sponges together. Dust the top of the cake lightly with the sieved icing sugar.

MARY BERRY'S MADEIRA CAKE

Steps:

• Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat everything well until creamy.
• Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
• In go the flour and ground almonds together with the lemon zest.
• Mix everything well to get a smooth thick batter.
• Grease and flour a 23 cm/9 inch round cake tin, and spread the batter evenly.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Leave to cool for 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the cake tin, and transfer to a cooling rack to be cooled down completely.

NO FUSS GENOISE SPONGE CAKE (MARY BERRY'S)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit, line 2 6-inch baking pans (or 1 9-inch) with parchment paper on the bottom only. Don't grease the sides. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a sauce pan or microwave, set aside to cool slightly.
• Mix the flour and cornstarch together in a small bowl. If you are using all purpose flour, make sure to add the baking powder and pinch of salt listed in the notes area of this recipe. Sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times to remove any lumps and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on full speed until the mixture is almost white, triples (at least) in volume and reaches ribbon stage (see post above). About 10 to 11 minutes on high for a stand mixer, closer to 15 minutes for a hand mixer and 20 minutes or more if whisking by hand.
• Add half the flour very gently. Fold in to the egg mixture, then add half the butter, pouring it around the edge of the bowl. Fold in. Repeat with the remaining half of the flour and butter. Take care not to fold out too much air.
• Transfer the batter to your baking pan(s) and bake 22-25 minutes on the center rack, with the cakes closer to the oven door. Try not to open the door for the first half of baking.
• Check your cakes a bit early if your oven runs hot. They should spring back when gently pressed or a toothpick comes out clean.
• Use a sharp knife to run around the edges of the pan, then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Cakes themselves will be good tightly wrapped for up to 4 days. Layers may also be frozen for up to 2 months tightly wrapped.