Having my birthday cake - twice. And eating it too!

Another month passes and I have tumbled somewhat ungracefully into another year of adulthood. I have made two discoveries this week. First that the decline in optic health has already arrested my eyes according to the optician who calmly informed me that this is the reason I can no longer see my toes clearly without spectacles. Thanks chum - encouraging! The second however is that I can still make a half decent slice or two of cake.  

My inner control freak now dictates that I make my own birthday cake. This is only true in part, but I do relish the opportunity to cook when back with Mum and Dad and their shiny kitchen. So I have been experimenting and concocting. The first cake is homage to my love of stripes, dots and childhood. A chocolate and vanilla spot cake, complete with cherry and vanilla jam and buttercream. All the best things from birthdays past. The warm fuzzy haze of butterfly cakes, clumsily oozing with cream and icing sugar and jam and chocolate at birthday parties. On a practical note it's just a 6oz standard cake mix, split and one half flavoured with chocolate and coffee and the other with vanilla. Then piped dottily into cake tins and baked. A dab or two of jam and Bob's your uncle. (He ACTUALLY IS!)

The other cake is a bit of posh. One of those flour-less cake with ground almonds in and oodles of chocolate and butter. But also containing a handful of fruit so you don't feel as wracked with guilt. The recipe is adapted from the Red magazine site and with a flourish of pistachios and praline to dress it up, quite the stunner. I served it as a plated dinner party pudding, but you could definitely attack it with a spoon straight from the oven or with your face depending on how committed you're feeling... You know who you are. Yes, I am referring to you! And the other fun fact about this cake is it is gluten free!

Anyhow here's how you make it. Just sharing the joy!

Chocolate, raspberry and pistachio cake (served with pistachio praline, crumb, lime and honey creme fraiche)

Cake (12 portions)
200g dark chocolate 
4 egg yolks
175g caster sugar
4 egg whites
200g butter, melted
200g ground almonds
50g pistachios, roasted and shelled
200g caster sugar for caramel200g raspberries, plus extra for decorating the cake
Icing sugar, for dusting

To serve: Creme fraiche mixed with lime zest and a little honey.

1) Preheat oven to 180C/375F/Gas 4. Grease and then line a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment.
2) In a food processor blitz the chocolate down into  small pieces. Add 50g of pistachios and blitz until chopped up. Then set aside.
3) Melt the butter and then leave to cool a little.
4) Whisk up the egg yolks with the sugar until it forms a pale yellow mousse. Then carefully and efficiently fold in the ground almonds, chopped chocolate and pistachios and melted butter. 
5) In a clean, separate bowl whisk up the egg whites until white, thick and increased in volume. They should form medium stiff peaks. Then fold through the cake mix gently and working quickly to keep as much air possible in the cake. This is what is going to make it rise! Finally add the raspberries and turn them through the mixture a couple of times.
6) Carefully turn the mix out into the prepared cake tin and make sure it covers the pan evenly. Then bake for 45-50mins until firm to the touch and set.
7) Once baked, cool in the tin for 30mins before removing it to a cooling rack. This is a delicate cake, so even when cold you will need to move/cut it with respect!

While the cake is cooking you can clear down and get on with some bells and whistles to make it sing, especially if you are cooking for a special occasion.

Pistachio Praline
200g granulated sugar
100g pistachios, roasted and shelled

1) Grease a baking sheet lightly with a flavourless oil, like sunflower/veg oil.
2) Pop the sugar in a saucepan on a medium-high heat and allow it to melt. Shake the pan now and again to allow the melting sugar to mix with the unmelted and help it to dissolve. As the sugar melt it will begin to caramelise. 
3) Let in develop to a deep brown, with all the sugar crystals melted, then add in the pistachios. Shake/swirl them carefully in the caramel then pour the mixture out onto the baking sheet and leave to cool completely. This will take a while because sugar gets very hot!
4) Once cold you can break it up into shards to decorate, and also blitz some in a food processor to make a funky little crumb.

Plating desserts means you can have a bit of fun with what in this instance really is just a bit of cake. But with a bit of sugary nutty dust and cream you can make something that will knock people's socks off. Enjoy :) 

The finished articles.