BBC Good Food

01 November 2008

Tested

"This is definitely worth 5 stars! It has a real lemon kick and is rich in flavour but strangely enough, very light if you've eaten a large meal beforehand. I used 2 whole lemons and 1 orange to make up the 100ml of liquid which I'm glad I had to do because I think for me, without the orange to dilute the lemon, it may have been a little too sour! I also added one half orange zest as well as one whole lemon zest. Like some have suggested, I may even use just oranges next time! I cooked it for 45 mins on fan 160c and it was perfect! I used a hand held mixer instead of blender. Will definitely be making this again!"

25 October 2008

Tested

"Have cooked this once following the recipe exactly and it was gorgeous and then once trying to replace the dark (plain) chocolate with milk chocolate. Be very careful because milk chocolate binds quite quickly over heat alongside the sugar and syrup. Also don't be tempted to add white chocolate chunks like I did. It ends up taking twice as long to cook and can then taste a little caramelised. Stick to the recipe because it's perfect!!!"

25 October 2008

Tested

"A lovely old fashioned cake. I used Gales Blossom Honey which has a fairly strong flavour and cooked it for 1 hour and 10 mins on fan 140c (checked it every 5 mins after 50 mins)! Think it would go lovely with a lemon buttercream topping as Honey and Lemon works well together so will try that next time! Similar to Toffee cake but a slightly healthier subtler option! Will definitely make this one again! It also rose very high so the slices were a good size width ways (doorstep slices) as well as height ways!!!"

15 October 2008

Tested

"Followed the recipe exactly (used cadbury's caramel) and kept in the coffee as even though I'm not a coffee drinker, I do feel that coffee really enhances the flavour of the chocolate and caramel with it's bitter contrast. Not many people have mentioned the cooking time but I checked the cake at 40 mins and it was still very wobbly when moved so I checked it every 5 mins from then on and cooked it for a total of 55 mins on Fan 160c (at this point the skewer came out clean and the top sprang back). Unfortunately, I don't get to sample this cake as it's my first one and going straight to my Husband's Work Colleague so he will have to be my constructive taster!!! Smells great, looks great and is a very similar mix to Mary Berry's Definitive Chocolate Cake which is gorgeous! My only tip is to make sure that you get a nice flat surface with the back of a spoon once the mixture is in the tin (and the same for Mary Berry's Definitive Chocolate Cake mix)!"

29 September 2008

Tested

"I used a fairly deep cake tin and cooked it for around 1 hour 30 mins (fan 140C). I was a little dubious about it actually working because it recommends a shallow tin but it did and my family really liked it. It sank a little in the middle but was lovely and moist on the inside and slightly chewy on the outside. No need for frills so didn't use any icing. My only comment is that it's slightly greasy to the touch but doesn't taste greasy. My 5 year old helped me mix all the ingredients together so you can get your little ones involved with this one as long as you get everything prepared before starting!!! Pleasantly surprised! Will try Honey Cake next!"