This chocolate fudge cake was not only my favourite cake when I was younger, but also the only cake I could and would bake. I remember making it at the weekend and then, if it hadn’t all been eaten, I’d eat slithers swamped in cream while curled up on the sofa after school in the week. The recipe, which is covered in chocolate splatters, is by Mary Berry whose Ultimate Cake Book was the only cookery book I knew existed until about the age of twelve! Its so simple and delicious, using only 5 store cupboard ingredients, foregoing the need for expensive cooking chocolate, unsalted butter and all the other high maintenance ingredients modern cakes seem to require.
Here's the recipe in all its messy glory!
I also made some lavender lemonade which was a lovely way of using the fast vanishing lavender in the garden.
Lavender Lemonade Recipe
- Wash 15g Lavender Heads and place in a Saucepan with 500ml Boiling Water. Simmer for 2 minutes, and then take off the heat and leave to steep for ten minutes. Strain.
- Add 150g Caster Sugar and stir to dissolve. Add 2 Pints Cold Water and the juice of 5 Lemons. Then strain again to remove pips and pith.
- Add more water to taste and serve with ice.
Finally, here is another old-fashioned recipe - Smoked Cod's Roe Taramasalata. It tastes completely better and different to the shop bought dip.
Taramasalata
- Soak 225g Smoked Cod's Roe in cold water for 2 hours. Then drain, run under water and peel off the skin.
- Put the Roe in a large bowl and mash with a fork. Then, whilst beating with an electric whisk, slowly pour in the juice of 1 Lemon. Then do the same with 150ml Olive Oil and 150ml of Groundnut or other flavourless oil, beating until the mixture becomes solid and rides in stiff peaks.
- Now beat in about 55ml Boiling Water to make a mousse consistency.
- Stir in 1 crushed Garlic Clove and a handful of chopped Parsley and serve on toast or crackers.
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