Chocolate poke cake
For the chocolate cake 14 tbs flour (½ cup plus 6 tbsp) 1 cup sugar 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder ¾ tsp baking soda ¾ tsp baking powder pinch of salt 1 large egg ½ cup brewed coffee (or ½ cup boiling water if you don’t like coffee in cake) ½ cup milk ¼ cup vegetable oil ½ tsp vanilla extract For chocolate fudge sauce ½ can (198g) condensed milk ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips For cheesecake layer 150g cream cheese/ 9 Kiri cheese blocks at room temperature 4 tbsp Nutella/ cookie butter/ sweetened condensed milk 250ml whipping cream 4 tbsp powdered sugar 1tbsp gelatine dissolved in ¼ cup hot water
To make cake: Preheat oven to 1806C. Grease a 27x17cm rectangular baking dish and set aside.In a large bowl combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt). In another bowl combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add the flour mix to the eggs, mix gradually and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add coffee (or boiling water) and mix to combine (the batter will look runny). Pour it in the baking dish and smooth the top. Tap the pan on the table few times to remove air bubbles. Bake 35 to 40 minutes (until toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean). If the cake rises too much in the centre and cracks, press it gently with your palms or a rubber spatula when it’s slightly cooled to smooth the top. With a wooden spoon or thick end of a chopstick poke holes all over the top of the cake. Don’t poke all the way through – poke until about ¾ of the way through the cake. Set aside cake.
To make chocolate fudge sauce: Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, bring condensed milk to the boil and pour it over the chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth. Pour chocolate mixture over the cake and spread to fill in holes. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate.
To make the cheesecake layer: Whip cream cheese and Nutella or cookie butter (or just sweetened condensed milk) until smooth. Dissolve gelatine in hot water. Pour it into the cream cheese mix. Whip the cream with sugar until stiff peaks form. Add the cream cheese mix in batches to the whipped cream. Fold in. Pour over the cake evenly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
● If you want a stiffer cheesecake layer, increase the amount of cream cheese and reduce the amount of whipping cream. The fudge sauce tends to harden. Just before you pour it over the cake, heat it in a microwave for 20-second bursts, stirring in between. – www.savoryandsweetfood.com