Devonshire Chocolate Sponge Recipes

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter and line two 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment.
• Use a handheld electric whisk or a freestanding mixer to beat 175g softened unsalted butter and 175g golden caster sugar together in a bowl until creamy and light in colour. Then add 1 large egg, still mixing.
• Sieve 50g cocoa powder, 100g self-raising flour and a pinch of salt into another bowl and add a third of that to your wet ingredients.
• Once combined, add 1 more large egg and another third of the flour mixture and work that in.
• Then add 1 more large egg and the remaining flour and beat until you have a smooth thick batter. If the batter is stiff, stir in a splash of milk to loosen it.
• Divide the mixture between the tins and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
• Bake for 20-25 mins until springy to the touch. Take out of the oven and leave in the tins for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the buttercream by melting 50g dark or milk chocolate in the microwave, or in a bowl over just simmering water, making sure the base doesn't touch the water. Leave to cool.
• Beat 85g softened unsalted butter and half of the 175g sieved icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the remaining icing sugar and melted chocolate and mix together. If the icing is runny, chill in the fridge until it is firm but still spreadable.
• To assemble the cake, put a small dollop of icing onto a plate and put one of the cakes on top. Spread the top of the cake with half the icing, leaving a 1cm border around the edge.
• Put the second cake on top and push down very gently. Spread the remaining icing over the top.

DEVONSHIRE HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3. Butter and line a 20cm round loosebottomed cake tin. Cut the butter into pieces and drop into a medium pan with the honey and sugar. Melt slowly over a low heat. When the mixture looks quite liquid, increase the heat under the pan and boil for about one minute. Leave to cool for 15-20 minutes, to prevent the eggs cooking when they are mixed in.
• Beat the eggs into the melted honey mixture using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour into a large bowl and pour in the egg and honey mixture, beating until you have a smooth, quite runny batter.
• Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour until the cake is well-risen, golden brown and springs back when pressed. A skewer pushed into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
• Turn the cake out on a wire rack. Warm 2 tbsp honey in a small pan and brush over the top of the cake to give a sticky glaze, then leave to cool. Keeps for 4-5 days wrapped, in an airtight tin.

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine 1/3 cup each sugar and water over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove simple syrup from heat; let cool.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds; butter parchment. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine eggs and remaining 1 cup sugar. Whisk on medium speed until quadrupled in volume and mixture holds a 3-second ribbon, about 10 minutes. Whisk in vanilla.
• In a bowl, combine cocoa and flour. Sift over egg mixture; using a large rubber spatula, carefully fold into egg mixture, cutting through center and lifting gently over sides. Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan and is springy to touch, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from oven. Run a small knife around sides of pan. Invert onto rack; remove parchment, and re-invert onto rack to cool completely.
• Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes horizontally to level surface. Halve each cake horizontally to form 2 layers. Transfer 1 layer to a serving platter; generously brush with simple syrup and spread 3/4 cup frosting on top. Set another cake layer on top, and repeat process with remaining simple syrup, frosting, and cake layers. Frost top and sides of cake in a swirling motion. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Stir butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a bowl; add vanilla extract and mix well. Stir eggs, 1 at a time, into butter mixture until smooth.
• Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Stir flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, into butter mixture until batter is smooth, adding more buttermilk if needed to thin out batter. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.

DEVONSHIRE CHOCOLATE SPONGE

Steps:

• Preset oven to 190C (375F).
• Grease two 18cm (7 inch) sponge tins.
• In a small mixing bowl, and using electric beaters, cream margarine, sugar and treacle.
• Add eggs and mix until combined.
• Into a separate bowl sieve flour, cocoa, baking powder and coffee.
• Add dry ingredients, a bit at a time, to margarine/treacle mixture alternating with the milk and beating after each addition.
• Beat until combined.
• Divide mixture evenly between sponge tins and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes.
• When cooked, remove from oven and turn carefully onto racks to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the topping/filling: Add a small amount of boiling water to a small saucepan and set over a very low heat.
• Place all topping/filling ingredients into a heatproof glass bowl and set the bowl over the the saucepan (or use a double boiler).
• With electric beaters, cream the ingredients (this won't take very long).
• Cover and place topping/filling into the refrigerator until cake is completely cool.
• Remember the topping is not supposed to be sweet- don't judge the taste until you've tried it on the cake.
• When the cake and topping/filling are both cool, sandwich the two sponges together with the filling then use the other half to ice the top.
• Tip: Run a spatula under some hot water, dry, then use immediately to smooth the topping.

GIANDUJA CHOCOLATE FONDANT WITH DEVONSHIRE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• To make Devonshire ice cream. In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer clipped to the side, add the milk, milk powder, sugar, atomized glucose, and butter. Heat until the thermometer reaches 112 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Before adding the egg yolks to the milk mixture temper it by whisking some of the hot milk into the yolks, then add the yolk and milk mixture back into the milk. Cook on low heat, stirring in figure 8's with a spatula until slightly thickened, at 185 degrees F. Do not over cook, remove immediately from heat. Add the Devonshire cream, mix well and allow to cool before putting in the ice cream machine. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions, allowing to reach soft to firm consistency. Serve immediately or place in freezer.
• To make the chocolate fondant. Butter a muffin tin.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Over a double boiler on low heat, melt the butter and chocolate. Meanwhile in a standing mixer whip up the eggs, egg yolks and sugar on high until it reaches ribbon stage. Once at ribbon stage turn the mixer to low and add your melted chocolate and butter, combine well. Fold in the flour. Evenly divide the batter into muffin cups. Bake for 12 minutes, it should still be runny in the center. Serve immediately with the Devonshire ice cream on the side.

CHOCOLATE GENOISE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 1/2-by-15 1/2-by-1-inch jelly-roll pan. Line with parchment; butter and flour paper, tapping out the excess flour.
• Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda together twice into a medium bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Skim off white foam, and pour clear yellow butter into a bowl, discarding white liquid at the bottom. Set aside in a warm place.
• In a medium-size heat-proof bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, and beat on high speed until mixture is thick and pale and has tripled in bulk. Reduce speed to medium, add vanilla, and beat 2 to 3 minutes more.
• In three additions, sift flour mixture over egg mixture, folding in gently with a spatula. While folding in last addition, dribble melted butter over batter and fold in.
• Spread batter evenly in pan, leaving behind any unincorporated butter in the bottom of the bowl. Tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake until cake springs back when touched in center, 15 to 20 minutes. Don't overbake or cake will crack. Let sit in pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.
• Dust surface with cocoa powder. To make rolling easier, trim edges of cake, and cover with a sheet of waxed paper and a damp dish towel. Invert onto a work surface, and peel off parchment; dust with cocoa. Starting from one long end, carefully roll up cake in towel. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until ready to use.