Hi all,
First post here and looking for help.
I usually bake a tried and tested madeira cake for birthday/celebration cakes but have a requirement to do a chocolate birthday cake but still need to decorate in fondant etc.
Can I change my usual recipe to a chocolate madeira? Perhaps add cocoa powder or melted chocolate?
I'd like it to not be too dry so thinking adding melted chocolate might help but obviously don't want to threaten the rise.
Usual recipe is (for a 7" round tin):
230g SR Flour
170g Caster Sugar
170g Stork
3 Eggs
Milk
Fingers crossed for some help and advice. TIA.
Hi Dulux316
Welcome to the site.
In essence, yes, you can amend your recipe to incorporate a chocolatey flavour; however, it depends on what density/flavour balance you are looking for.
I have a few options for you, depending on what you want cake wise so here goes.
Structure
If you want to keep the dense structure that the Madeira has, then you might look to add a little cocoa in replacement of your self raising flour. If you're worried about dryness, you could always add a stock syrup to the cake afterwards.
If you want to add extra moisture to your cakes, then you can do so by creating a stock/simple syrup. Here is a recipe and guide on how to make stock syrup for your pre-baked cakes. To make the stock syrup, you will need the following: Ingredients: 100 grams or 3.5 oz Granulated or Caster...
www.helpmebake.com
Ingredients
The better the cocoa powder, the richer the flavour, so you may want to invest in a Cocoa Powder from a cake supplier to give you the best results. Small amount of coffee will also enhance the richness of flavour in a chocolate cake too.
Have you ever wondered why you are asked to add coffee to your baking? The reason being is that by adding coffee to your chocolate-flavoured bakes will, in fact, enhance the flavour. This is because instant coffee paired with cocoa powder subtly compliments the cake, giving it a much richer...
www.helpmebake.com
Adding melted chocolate to your bake will affect the rise, so you may be best sticking with a Cocoa substitute with your Madeira recipe.
Softer Cake but Richer Flavour
If you want a rich chocolate flavour for the cake and don't mind the cake being more sponge-like, you may want a recipe similar to that of a rich chocolate brownie as that will give you a more chocolatey flavour. If you opt for this type of cake, they usually include separating the yolks from the whites, foaming the whites to give lightness and adding a 70% cocoa solid chocolate to give you the best flavours. However, with this being a softer cake, you will need dowels or straws for structure if you are stacking.
When I make chocolate cakes, I usually use my victoria sponge recipe and replace some of the flour with cocoa.
Here is a step by step tutorial showing you how to make a beautiful chocolate cake. Preheat your oven to one of the following: Fan assisted: 150°C Regular oven: 170 - 180°C Gas Mark: 1 - 2 Fahrenheit: 302 Ingredients: 200 grams or 7 oz of granulated sugar 200 grams or 7 oz unsalted butter or...
www.helpmebake.com
This is a rough idea of what the Frozen cake should look like, obviously, it will all be cake but this is the overall design me and Han have agreed on. :D It will be two tier cake in blue and white, with snowflakes in the same colour, Lois has asked me for a few purple ones too so I will add...
www.helpmebake.com
For my Frozen Cake, I made a chocolate tier for the top and then made a normal Madeira for the base tier and covered them both in fondant. This gave me the chocolatey flavour at the top and the structured denser tier at the bottom.
Trial Run
As you are aware, any changes to a tried and tested recipe can affect the overall bake, so no matter what you do to change it, it is always worth doing a trial run before the big day; that way, you know what the cake will look and taste like after any amendments.
I hope this helps.
Kind regards
Angie
I'm sure Angie will be along with some advice before long
