What's the nation's favourite cake?
A recent ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ survey has revealed the nation’s favourite cake. And guess what? It isn’t Victoria sponge, lemon drizzle, carrot cake or even Christmas cake: all guesses by baking aficionados on the . It seems that fans of afternoon tea and elevenses love to lap up that winning combination of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate slathered over and between rich cocoa sponge. I want a slice just writing about it...
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27% of those surveyed named chocolate as their greatest gâteaux – with more women than men tending to favour it. So to celebrate (any excuse to Get Baking), we asked Great British Bake Off winner Edd Kimber to demonstrate how to make and decorate a simple chocolate cake. Follow this simple recipe and, once you've mastered the basics, find out how to take decorating to another layer using chocolate transfers.
We went to expert to stir up some thoughts about what makes chocolate cake so tempting. Chocolate has long been valuable, priced stuff. Indeed Chantal told us that the ancient believed that cocoa was so sacred that they drank it from solid gold goblets. We’re regularly told that it’s good for us and it seems that our appetite for chocolate is forcing prices up – a single bar . We can’t get enough of the stuff.
So when you combine rich, dreamy chocolate with homemade sponge cake. Well, that’s when the magic begins... If this isn't enough to make you reach for the nearest chocolate treat, enjoy our video homage to the chocolate cake, guaranteed to make your mouth water...
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So, over to you, is chocolate really a superior sponge? What's your all-time favourite cake?
Get Baking for Children in Need!Ìý The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳’s Get Baking campaign aims to inspire and encourage all those who are new to baking to roll their sleeves up and discover their flour power – with the added incentive of raising money for Children in Need.
Comment number 1.
At 16th Nov 2010, Jean - jhmelea wrote:I have to agree, a normal sponge is too bland for me chocolate is definatly the way to go.
I alays make sure I get a choocolate sponge for my important birthdays and am even trying to convince the other half it is the way to go for our wedding cake.
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Comment number 2.
At 16th Nov 2010, Stokey Sue wrote:I tend to feel that if I want chocolate then that's what I'll have - chocolate in a bar. Or something punchy like a good brownie. Choc sponge is a bit not one thing or the other - too wishy washy for a choc hit. For cake, I'd sooner have a good ginger cake, or lemon drizzle, or fruit cake. But then I don't eat a lot of cake!
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Comment number 3.
At 17th Nov 2010, Ramona Andrews ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Food host wrote:Speaking of ginger cake - I'm a massive fan too - this gingerbread cake was brought into the office the other day after a photoshoot and I would highly recommend it! I'm planning on making it this weekend for a bake sale:
/blogs/food/2010/11/nigel-slaters-simple-suppers-m.shtml
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Comment number 4.
At 17th Nov 2010, Helena Handcart wrote:So, wait... A sponge cake, albeit chocolate, trounces fruit cake? What kind of survey was this? Surely chocolate sponge should be lumped in with the third place sponge cakes, leaving the much nicer fruit cakes to be the winner?
I sense a chocoholic conspiracy here. =o)
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Comment number 5.
At 17th Nov 2010, ian william johnson wrote:I note that the chocolate fans are all female, or at least have female usernames.
As I am of the other persuasion, may I be the first to vote for my three masculine favourites:
1. Caraway seed cake ( a sadly neglected recipe, delicious if you go very easy on the caraway seeds)
2. Date and Walnut cake ( my mums favourite. Sometimes she'd allow me a - very thin - slice)
3. Sticky toffee cake ( one of mine, basically a sticky toffee pudding baked as a cake)
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Comment number 6.
At 17th Nov 2010, looksalot wrote:I agree with Stokey Sue. Chocolate cake is very sweet and can be sickly - I prefer something lemony or a robust gingerbread. The less icing the better I like it (with the exception of carrot cake frosting).
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Comment number 7.
At 22nd Nov 2010, Katy Ashworth wrote:My nana's chocolate cake is my favourite cake because of the icing and the filling - by far the best parts. It's got to be sort of fluffy, not hard and not too runny. Getting the icing and filling right is the key to a successful chocolate cake. Actually nana's chocolate cake always tastes better when it's not totally cooked in the middle, when it's REALLY moist in the middle and a bit fallen in - though she would definitely not agree!
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