A ‘Special’ Chocolate Bundt Cake

What will be your first reaction or response when you hear the word "special" ? I don't know about you, but when I hear this word, I'm there to look out or search for something that is beyond the 'normal'. Well, this recipe definitely had me curious when I first saw it in this blog site. It didn't put down as special, but it was titled under "Mum's Chocolate Cake"………and I was having that kind of feeling that this chocolate cake must be something special compared to the rest.True enough it contained something extra ordinary in the ingredients that I don't normally see in the other chocolate cakes' recipe……..and that is "Strawberry Jam"!!! Yes, you didn't see or hear wrongly……it is Strawberry Jam indeed!! I don't find it weird but I find it kind of special…….so I decided to change the name to "A Special Chocolate Bundt Cake" instead of 'Mum's Chocolate Cake' because I wouldn't want to claim that as my mum's chocolate cake…….then that will be really weird especially when my mum doesn't bake at all, LOL.
I didn't give it a second thought, but ran straight to the cake ingredients store and get all the things I needed…….and headed home to bake. I decided to bake this cake for a friend/colleague (Elaine) of mine from Miri, Sarawak, who will be here over the weekend for some school fairs that we will be attending together. She likes my baking and often request me to bake for her…….of course I'd be happy to do that ^-^
By the way, this cake recipe comes with a frosting, but I didn't do the frosting because I prefer the cake to be plain and therefore I just sprinkled some snow powder / icing sugar on the cake only. Here's the recipe and I really suggest that you take it down, and try baking it someday when you free ;)

 A Special Chocolate Cake (aka Mum's Chocolate Cake in The Cake Mistress' blog site)

Ingredients for Cake:
125gm unsalted butter, bring to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
60gm plain flour
¾ cup buttermilk
115gm castor sugar (I used 80gm only)
2 large eggs
40gm Self raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
60gm cocoa powder
½ cup Strawberry jam


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius. Lightly grease a 18cm / 7 inch round cake tin. (I used a bundt tin instead)
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until thick, pale and creamy.
   
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour in the jam and beat until mixture is smooth.
   
4. Add bicarbonate soda, then sift in the flour (plain+SRF) and cocoa powder, folding them in gently with half of the buttermilk. Add the remaining flour and buttermilk, continuing to fold until just combined. The mixture should resemble a thick chocolate mousse.
   
5. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 35 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touch and a skewer inserted to the centre, comes out clean.
   
6. 
   
   
   Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto the wire rack to cool completely.
   
   
    Note: Just in case you want to frost your cake, this is the frosting recipe…….

Ingredients for the frosting:

300gm icing sugar

100gm unsalted butter, room temperature

40gm cocoa powder, sifted

50ml whole milk

Method for frosting:

1. Beat the icing sugar , butter and cocoa powder with an electric mixer until well combined.
2. Add milk, then whip the frosting with the beaters for around 5 minutes. This makes it nice and fluffy and helps dissolve some of the icing sugar.
3. When the cake is completely cook, slather the top with the frosting.

Happy Chocolate Cake baking !