Willie Harcourt-Couze's Cloud Forest Chocolate Cake - Help Needed!

[Martin109]

You may have seen 'Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory' recently.  I tracked down some Venezuelan Black 100% Cacao at a local Waitrose, and followed his recipe for Cloud Forest Chocolate Cake:

180g grated cacao,= 1 x 100% Venezuelan Black block
6 eggs
125g caster sugar
50g light muscovado sugar
100g ground almonds
250g butter

Melt grated cacao and butter, half the caster and muscovado sugar in a bain-marie.  Add almonds.  Blend half the caster sugar and eggs until tripled in size.  Fold into the cacao mixture and cook for 25 minutes at 160C.  Cool in tin.  Sprinkle with cocoa.

This was the first time I ever baked a cake, so I need some help.  Following his recipe exactly, it came out all runny in the middle, even when it had cooled down.  A ring around the outside is fine.  Is this because it needed more baking time?  Could my inexpertise, rather than baking time, have resulted in this disaster.  Still tastes nice though.

Grating the whole block as per recipe is HARD WORK!

[hellymedic]

I am not an expert cook but it strikes me that the heat did not penetrate enough to cook the centre of the cake.

It either needs to be a different shape or to be cooked for longer, perhaps at a lower temperature, to prevent burning of the outside.

I also wonder if it would set in a microvave...

[Martin109]

I am not an expert cook but it strikes me that the heat did not penetrate enough to cook the centre of the cake.

That's what this non-expert was thinking!  I think the cake tin was smaller but deeper than that envisaged by Willie.  I've tried rebaking it a bit, and that seems so have helped.

[slowfen]

The other problem is that each and every oven cooks slightly differently.

It may of needed only 5-10 mins longer.

The best way is about 10 min before its due to be cooked (recipe time) check it by inserting a clean knife (or similar) into the centre. If it comes out clean , its done else give it 5 min more and repeat.

This might be described better in a baking book.

However enjoy the gooey mix

sf

[Hot Flatus]

You missed an ingedient!

You forgot to purchase a  50ml vial of Willie Harcourt-Couze's Bolivian Forehead Sweat and add it to the cake mix prior to baking.

Doh! 

[Martin109]

I know - I just wasn't frenetic and driven enough while I was making it.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

This was the first time I ever baked a cake, so I need some help.  Following his recipe exactly, it came out all runny in the middle, even when it had cooled down.  A ring around the outside is fine.  Is this because it needed more baking time?  Could my inexpertise, rather than baking time, have resulted in this disaster.  Still tastes nice though.

Grating the whole block as per recipe is HARD WORK!

It needed more baking time, and make sure you use the size and shape of tin specified in the recipe.

Use a food processor for grating!