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Chocolate Orange Cake

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Whenever we need a good recipe, we search out Felicity Cloake's  ultimate recipes online at the Guardian Newspapers lifestyle section -   www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle -  in which she makes and compares a variety of  chefs recipes to come up with an ultimate dish.  This chocolate cake recipe is all it should be, chocolaty, rich and have I mentioned, chocolaty.  However, for our Easter cake we changed the icing to a chocolate orange one and I give both buttercreams in the recipe below.  I hope you enjoy it as much as our guests did! 50g dark chocolate, melted and allowed to cool slightly 250g butter, at room temperature 250g light muscovado sugar ½ tsp salt 100g cocoa powder 250g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 3 large eggs  250ml milk 50g chocolate chip For the buttercream: 140g butter, softened 50g cocoa powder 200g icing sugar Pinch of salt 2 tbsp milk 5 Oreo
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Recent posts

Hello and sorry for the absence!

Hurrah, I have found my way back into Swan Hill House's blog page! There are a number of recipes backing up and I will also use this space more to let you know what is going on in the beautiful part of East Devon.  Thank you for your patience and the next blog with our Easter cake recipe will not be far behind.
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Raspberry Bakewell Cake

Our raspberry canes are sprouting leaves and we are hopeful of another bumper crop of fruit this Summer and Autumn.  Which is just-as-well as the frozen berries of last year's harvest are running out quickly - being used as a great companion to rhubarb in the breakfast compote.   Also, it gives us a great excuse to make this bakewell cake for our Bank Holiday guests.  Passed to us by our great neighbour, Barbara, the recipe was a photocopy of a well used page, torn out of an unknown magazine. So full credit to the creator of this wonderful recipe can not be given. Hope you love it! Raspberry Bakewell cake 140g ground almonds 140g butter, softened 140g golden caster sugar 140g SR flour 2 eggs (large) 1 tsp vanilla essence 200g raspberries 2 tbsp flaked almonds Icing sugar to serve (optional) Heat the oven to 180C / 160 fan or gas 4 and line a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin.  Put the ground almonds, butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla ext
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Making the most of English Raspberries

Raspberry, Lemon & Yogurt Tea loaf Because raspberry and lemon is such a fantastic flavour combination this tea loaf if a real success with our guests - and us.   Shamelessly nabbed from 'Yeo Valley Family Farm, The Great Britisih Farmhouse Cookbook ' by Sarah Mayor, it is a recipe to make over and over and no one will mind. Makes one 1kg loaf 250g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder pinch salt 115g soft butter 225g caster sugar finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon 2 large free-range eggs 100g wholemilk natural yogurt 25g ground almonds 200g fresh raspberries 100g granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling Preheat oven to 180C / Gas 4. Grease & line a 900g loaf tin. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cream the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the lemon zest. Beat in one egg at a time. Add a spoonful of flourmix with the second egg. Mix in the flour and yogurt, and finally the almonds. Spoon a th
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Lovely Cake

The cake baked for guests the week is a recipe out of the winner of BBC2's The Great British Bake Off John Whaite's Book.  It uses a lot of white chocolate which is so beautifully complimented by the raspberries. White Chocolate & Raspberry Melting Cake 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes 100g white chocolate, broken into pieces 4 large free-range eggs 200g caster sugar 200b self-raising flour 175g fresh raspberries Icing sugar for dusting For the ganache filling 200g white chocolate 250ml double cream  Preheat the oven to 180 oc/ Gas 4 Grease and line 2x20cm/8-inch round loose-bottomed cake tins. Put the butter and chocolate in a large heatproof mixing bowl above a pan of simmering water, and allow the butter and chocolate to melt together, stir occasionally.  Remove from the heat and cool for a minute or two. Add eggs and sugar to the cooled butter chocolate mix and beat with an electric mixer until
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Granola

Our breakfast granola is very popular and it's not unusual to have to bake a batch each day to keep up with demand.  After trying various recipes we have stuck with this one. The Wolseley Granola 30g Demerara sugar 20g (about 1 tablespoon) honey 10g (about 2 teaspoons) golden syrup 20g butter 40g rolled oats 30g desiccated coconut 25g pecans 15g flaked almonds 10g pistachio nuts 10g chopped hazelnuts 10g sunflower seeds Grated zest of ½ orange ½ teaspoon vanilla essence Preheat the oven to 150oC or gas mark 2. In a pan melt the sugar, honey, syrup and butter, until the sugar is disolved. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and tip on the dry ingredience, mix together. Pour the sweet honey mixture onto the dry ingredience and mix to coat. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden, turning the mixture every 5 mins. Serve with yogurt and fresh berries
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Cheese and Herb Cornbread

This loaf, just from the oven, smells amazing.  Full of chives and dill and a very strong Quickes cheese.  We serve with creamy scrambled eggs and the optional extra of Tregida Smokehouse's smoked salmon or Devon Rose's unsmoked bacon (thick sliced of course). 155g self raising flour 1 table spn caster sugar 2 tea spns baking powder 1 tea spn salt 110g fine polenta 60g grated cheddar 1 handful chopped herbs (parsley, dill) 2 large eggs 250ml buttermilk 4 tablespns oil (rapeseed or olive) Pre heat oven to 180 / gas 4 / 170 convection Grease a 20cm x 10cm loaf tin Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl.   Add polenta, cheese, herbs, eggs, buttermilk and oil and mix in to combine.   Spoon mixture into tin and bake for approx 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.   Cool in tin for a few minutes and turn out carefully onto a wire rack. (Can be frozen whole or in slices)
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