|
Anyone who has already discovered the delights of Avoca will know it’s
a girlie shopping paradise and ideal location for lunch, or just for a
coffee and a slice of something sinful.
The Avoca store is a cornucopia of
delightful home wares, covetable gift ideas, wistful fashion and
foodie delights. Spread over two floors in the old Habitat location,
on Belfast’s Arthur Street, fans will know of the mouthwatering
delights available in the restaurant and to take-away on the second
floor.
The recipe below is taken from Avoca’s
own Tea Time cookbook. Moist and rich, this slice of cocoa heaven
will keep for up to a week in an airtight container in a cool dry
place. Perfect if you are having your girlfriends round for a
leisurely afternoon tea, or maybe just for personal indulgence, to
soothe ragged nerves and calm hormonal rages. Enjoy!
Serves
12
275g
unsalted butter
125ml
strong coffee
275g
dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
110g
self-raising flour
110g
plain flour
a
pinch of bicarbonate of soda
225g
dark brown sugar
225g
light brown sugar
30g
cocoa powder
100ml
buttermilk
4
medium-sized eggs, beaten
Icing
425ml
double cream
1
½ tsp light brown sugar
350g
dark chocolate (53% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
Preheat
the oven to 150ºC/gas mark 2. Have ready a 20 x 10cm
round cake tin lined with baking parchment.
Melt
the butter, coffee and chocolate together in a bowl over barely
simmering water. Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then
add the melted butter and chocolate mix and finally the buttermilk
and eggs.
Pour
into the lined tin and bake for 1 ¾ - 2 hours. Remove from the
oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Melt
the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside
to cool. Combine the cream with the sugar and bring to the boil then
let it cool to room temperature before gently combining with the
chocolate. Ice the cake with the help of a palette knife.
To
assemble, cut the cake in half horizontally. Spread two-thirds of
the icing over the bottom half, and cover with the top half of the
cake. Spread the remaining icing over the sides first and then over
the top.
Recipe
is taken from the Avoca Tea Time Cook Book – available at Avoca,
Arthur Street, Belfast.
|
