ANGELA DAY bakes three of her favourite chocolate cakes

SPEAK to as many people, and you will find there are as many benchmarks for what constitutes the perfect chocolate cake. Some opt for a light and spongy texture, some prefer it dark and moist; others like lots of icing while some insist that the icing should contain chocolate rather than cocoa powder.

Hopefully the selection I have chosen here will have one to suit most tastes.

The beer box cake is ideal if you need to feed a crowd, and the texture of this cake is light and spongy.

The buttermilk cake is the most moist and dark. The salted caramel cake is not as moist, but the flavour balances well with the rich caramel. 500ml water 150ml sunflower oil 250ml cocoa powder 10ml vanilla essence 8 extra-large eggs 750ml castor sugar 875ml cake flour 20ml baking powder pinch of salt

BUTTER ICING

200g butter, softened 750ml icing sugar, sifted 80ml cocoa powder, sifted water or milk to mix 5ml vanilla essence chocolate balls, for

decoration For the cake, combine the water, oil, cocoa powder and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the mixture is smooth.

Pour into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs and castor sugar until light and almost white in colour.

Add to the cocoa mixture together with the sifted, dry ingredients. Pour into a foil-lined (shiny side facing upwards) beer box sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30-35 minutes.

Cool completely in the box before transferring to a cooling rack.

Cream the butter until light and fluffy, then add the icing sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla essence and enough water or milk. Mix until smooth.

ICING:

Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with chocolate balls.

If you are using an empty beer box, then staple the corners; if you don’t, the glue holding them together will melt in the oven and make a big mess.

Line the box with tin foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Alternatively, the cake can be baked in a large oven tray measuring 30x40cm.

NOTE:

250g butter 300ml castor sugar 5 extra-large eggs 400ml cake flour 10ml baking powder 180ml cocoa powder 80ml milk

FILLING

1 tin of caramel treat a generous pinch of sea

salt flakes

CHOC GANACHE

200g dark chocolate 125ml cream For the cake, cream the butter and castor sugar together until light and creamy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa together. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.

Spoon the mixture into two 20cm cake pans lined with greaseproof paper and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Sandwich the cakes together with half the salted caramel filling.

Transfer the rest to a piping bag.

Spread the chocolate topping over the cake, then pipe with the rest of the salted caramel.

FILLING:

Mix together the caramel and salt until smooth.

GANACHE:

Combine the chocolate and cream and heat over a gentle heat until melted and smooth.

Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then beat with an electric beater until light and fluffy. NASREEN Chamda, an industrial psychologist from Joburg, impressed the judges with her honey and rosemary soda bread as her signature bake. Both judges were surprised by the combination of flavours, but thought they worked really well with each other. 500g white bread flour 5g baking soda 7.5g cream of tartar 5g salt 5g lemon pepper 2 sprigs of rosemary 5g nutmeg 1 lemon zest 500ml buttermilk,

lightly beaten 15ml honey 120g cheddar cheese,

grated 1 egg, lightly beaten 60g white bread flour, 30g butter, melted cocoa powder for coating 500ml cake flour 500ml white sugar pinch of salt 5ml bicarbonate of soda 125g butter 250ml water 125ml sunflower oil 125ml cocoa powder, sifted 2 extra-large eggs 125ml buttermilk or plain

yoghurt

ICING

200g chocolate 125ml cream fresh strawberries to

decorate Brush a large ring pan with the melted butter and then coat with cocoa powder. Put in the freezer until required.

For the cake, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a large mixing bowl.

Heat the butter, water, oil and cocoa powder together in a small saucepan. Stir to combine. sifted (for dusting) Preheat oven to 200°C.

Lightly dust oven tray with flour and set aside.

Sift all dry ingredients. Add rosemary leaves and lemon zest to the dry ingredients and mix together.

Lightly whisk buttermilk, egg and honey.

Incorporate into the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms.

Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and mix well.

Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk, then add to the flour mixture.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan before turning out on a wire rack.

For the icing, melt the chocolate and cream in a bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. Mix until smooth, then pour over the cake.

Serve with strawberries piled in the middle.

This cake does have a tendency to stick to the pan so make sure you grease and flour the pan well.

Also don’t turn it out too soon as it is fragile.

NOTE:

Add grated cheese to dough and knead until dough springs back slightly.

Divide dough into 2 balls. Allow to rest for 15 minutes

Place dough onto oven tray. Cut 1cm slashes into the dough to make an X.

Dust with flour and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.