Yesterday was a great day for the followers of my favourite website Beaut.ie because it was when the 50 Fine Things were announced. I was delighted to see most of my nominees in the Top 50 and beyond thrilled when the divine Mr. Tommy Bowe hit the top spot for the second year running (thanks to a little bit of canvassing by myself, Aifs and Little Miss Like Mam Used To Bake) which resulted in a special Twitter thank you today by @tommybowe14.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, I decided to make a cake - a chocolate & creme fraiche cake which I'm sure that any one of the Fifty Fine Things could whip up in a flash! It's rich & delicious - just like the lads...
Fine Things Cake
140g Creme Fraiche (full fat - no skinny shortcuts please)
140g Butter (as soft as you can get it without being liquid)
225g Soft Light Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Paste
4 Eggs
180g Plain Flour
3 tbsp Cocoa Powder
2 tsp Baking Powder
Preheat your oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4. Grease two 8 inch loose-bottomed cake tins & line the bases with baking paper.
Put all of your ingredients into a food mixer or large bowl & beat for 3-4 minutes with an electric whisk until everything is well mixed together. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins & smooth the tops before baking for 25 minutes.
The cakes will rise really well & should be coming away from the sides of the tins when cooked. Remove from the oven & allow to sit in the tins for 10 minutes before taking them out of the tin & cooling on a wire rack.
Once the cakes are cooked, the world is your oyster, decoration wise. I used a layer of chocolate creme patisserie (I found a carton of it lurking in my cupboard) & a layer of seedless raspberry jam, but it would be phenomenal with fresh cream & berries, or a chocolate ganache icing.
That cake sounds like a very fine thing! Always wondered what creme fraiche does to a cake sponge and it just might be time to find out. Thanks for the recipe
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