INGREDIENTS

• 188g salted butter (I like President semi-salted)
• 188g pear cider (you can use apple cider if you can’t find pear, or beer!)
• 188g self-raising flour (or make it yourself with plain flour)
• 60g cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 188g caster/superfine sugar
• 113g milk
• 90g eggs, beaten (about 1 and a half large eggs or 1 and three-quarters small/medium eggs)
• One and a half teaspoons vanilla extract
• 75g dark chocolate (chopped into very small pieces) – you can try it with 55% dark chocolate to have a less intense chocolate flavour

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven at 160°C for fan-assisted and 180°C for static non-convection.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a big bowl and whisk.
3. Add the sugar and whisk.
4. Measure the milk, eggs and vanilla extract and whisk in a separate smaller bowl.
5. Melt the butter with the cider in a saucepan over low heat.
6. Add the milk mixture and small pieces of chopped chocolate to the big bowl of flour.
7. Pour in the melted butter mixture.

8.  Whisk until the chocolate pieces are melted, and the mixture is smooth and homogenous.

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A SIMPLE CHOCOLATE CIDER SPONGE CAKE, THEN CONTINUE FROM NUMBER 9.

IF MAKING THE CHOCOLATE PEAR LOG THEN CONTINUE, FROM NUMBER 9b TO 12b.

9. Pour the mixture into a round cake mould (around 22cm diametre) or two sandwich moulds, which you buttered and floured. I need to do some more tests with quantities and moulds, but you would probably bake the cake for around 30 to 40 minutes.  The cake is ready when the sponge bounces back slightly when you put your finger on it, and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

FOR THE PEAR LOG:

9b.  Pour into the prepared baking tray.

10b.  Bake in the oven for around 10 – 15 minutes until the sponge bounces back slightly when you put your finger on it, and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

11b.  Let the sponge cool completely on a wire rack then turn around on a piece of greaseproof paper.  Peel off the greaseproof paper from under the sponge.

12b.  Go back to your Chocolate Pear Log Cake instructions in Will Torrent’s book or line a gouttière mould and invent your own chocolate mousse and pear filling 🙂

LEFTOVER SPONGE CAKE

You can also use leftover sponge for trifle or verrines.  We had verrines (trifles in individual glasses) with layers of chocolate cider sponge, raspberries, custard and greek yoghurt… What verrines would you make?