I’m trying to get into the habit of baking once a week – I find it hugely relaxing and love getting the boys involved.
So when I spied Sarah’s Forever Nigella Blogging Event had a Seduced By Chocolate theme over on Maison Cupcake it got me in an inventive mood.
I’ve been asking around for people’s fave Nigella recipes, and my book group friend Kath recommended one with a certain Nigella-esque glint in her eye, so I couldn’t resist giving it a go.
There’s something about Nigella and her fruity approach that brings out the minx in people – I love the way that this translates to her cooking.
Nigella’s Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake recipe is from her book How To Be A Domestic Goddess.
I made a few tweaks from the master recipe: I put in a mix of half light and half dark brown sugar to lighten the taste.
However to further intensify the chocolateyness from the 100g of melted dark chocolate, I substituted 50g of the 200g of flour with cocoa powder. My husband is the BIGGEST fan of chocolate to walk the planet so I was eager to impress him with my efforts.
My final stamp on the recipe was to scatter a handful of miniature Oreo cookies on top of the cake before cooking. You could even stir another handful through the batter before pouring it in the tin, if you were feeling REALLY indulgent that is.
I think you’d definitely need to don your silk dressing gown and get the fairy lights on for that kind of behaviour in the kitchen though!
Intense Chocolate Oreo Loaf Cake
225g softened unsalted butter
325g soft muscavado sugar (half light half dark)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g good quality dark chocolate, melted (I break it up into chunks and bung it in a bowl in the microwave on full power in short blasts of 20 seconds, stirring in between until all melted)
150g plain flour, sifted
50g cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp bicarb soda
250ml boiling water
handful mini Oreo cookies or regular sized broken into chunks
1. Pre-heat the oven to 175’C. Grease and line a 23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla.
2. Gently fold in the melted and cooled chocolate until combined.
3. In a separate bowl mix the sifted flour, cocoa and bicarb together. Then get your boiling water and alternately add a spoon of the dry mix and a slurp of the water to the chocolatey butter mix until you have a smooth and pretty runny batter.
4. Pour into your lined loaf tin, then scatter the top with you Oreo cookies, pushing them down a bit so they’re partly submerged. Bake for approx 50-60 minutes. The cake is one of those squidgy ones, so it’ll still wobble a bit in the middle when the time is up.
5. Put the tin on a wire rack and cool completely and then turn out. If you can possibly resist it’s best eaten the next day.
This cake is not all neat and perfect – it’s rustic and the middle will probably collapse a bit. HOWEVER it tastes out of this world and for an intense chocolateyness you really can’t beat it!
The crust on top of the cake, along with the Oreos, gives a satisfying chew, but underneath lies a sumptuous gooey wanton dark chocolate temptress that is impossible to resist.
You’re thinking, this is soooo rich I couldn’t eat more than a slice, but then find yourself reaching for another…
Oh my god! My mouth is literally watering. Well done pet, this is fab. Very Nigella-ish but with a Katie twist 🙂
Thanks angel. Matthew enjoyed the last wedge for his breakfast this morning!
Oh my. That does sound good.
I am making my Nigella cake this afternoon.
It’s a wonderful excuse to indulge 🙂
When I lived in Thailand I ate oreos all the time (double stuff even!) because chocolate promptly melted as I didn’t have a fridge. I don’t now but this is a recipe I could really get behind…
How fab to live in Thailand for a while! I got married there 🙂 I can definitely say this recipe will improve the quality of your life 😉
OMG, this is an intense chocolate cake but all I eat chocolate cake more than any other cake so I will definitely have to try out this recipe. Wonderful post.. now if I can only stop drooling.
Hehe it’s a total winner for chocolate lovers… Will def be making it again!
My! that looks good,amazed that it lasted long enough for Matthew to take to work!
It’s the chocolatiest thing I’ve ever made!!!!!
Oh, wow… that is intense. Bookmarking it now to make on some cold winter day. 🙂
Good plan – very comforting with a steaming hot cuppa 🙂
This looks like it would induce an instant, but totally worth it heart attack 🙂
We ate it and lived to bake again!! It’s a rather good antidote to all this detox nonsense 😉
haha agreed! by the way, I love the eyes peering over the table in the background–so cute 🙂
how easy but DELICIOUS! perfect for my valentine’s party dessert bar, thanks 🙂
I like the sound of a valentine’s party dessert bar – have fun!
awesome. i am so persuading my mum to make this for my birthday, when it comes.
Good plan! You could even try making it yourself – pretty simple and soooooo yum!
Wow, how did I miss this one. This looks heavenly, am definitely going to try this. .. And you know what – I can feel a Nigella-inspired photo shoot coming on! Please please – would be so much fun!! x
Would I have to wear a dressing gown?!
I really like the original loaf cake and your spin on it too.
Thanks Sally – I’m having to stop myself from making it again coz i’ll just inhale it 😉
Hi! I’ve just tried ur recipe n love it! Will be bringing it to my girlfriends only afternoon tea tomorrow! Hope they will enjoy it too! Thanks!
Nice one! Hope all the girls enjoy eating it 🙂 Sounds like a fun afternoon!