Bastille Day Dichotomy: Chocolate Lavender Cake

Rain. Wind. Grey skies. Gusts of wind so hard I close all the windows in the house to keep it out. Flashes of walking down tranquil, sunny squares behind Harrods’s. Orange blossom tea and macaroons at Ladurée. More wind and the sound of the shed door banging. Clouds galloping across the sky. Childish delight before the visual feast of colourful plates of sushi whirling around the conveyor belt at Yo! Sushi. Physical delight at the subtle tastes of fresher-than-fresh fish, wasabi and pickled ginger. A gust of wind spattering rain on the kitchen window. A gust of Jane spattering sparkling water all over Coralie.

The cat meows and brings me back down to earth. My vaguely Proustian moment is over and I set aside the dichotomy of yesterday’s sunny holiday atmosphere as opposed to today’s stormy work day. Time to concentrate on the mundane.

But mundane is comfortable, isn’t it? Especially after a late night out in London. (I promise I only drank water all night. Really.)

To chase away the mundane whilst retaining the comfortable, here is my favourite chocolate cake recipe with a little summery twist.

Based on “My Daughters’ Chocolate Cake” by Gilles Choukroun, it incorporates Coralie’s Easy Lavender Sugar to delight our taste buds, but can be made with regular sugar as well.

Jane’s Hampshire Lavender Chocolate Cake

Prep time:           20 mins
Cooking time:    30 mins
Serves:               6 greedy chocolate lovers

Ingredients:
½ Tsp dried edible lavender
180g granulated sugar
200g good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
150g butter at room temp
4 eggs, separated
75g plain flour

1. Make Coralie’s Easy Lavender Sugar: grind sugar and lavender 10 seconds in a food processor. Set aside.
2. Melt chocolate and butter together in microwave or over bain marie.
3. Add egg yolks to chocolate mixture; stir; then add flour.
4. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks, while adding lavender sugar.
5. Fold 1/3 of egg white mixture into chocolate; then fold in the rest.
6. Pour batter into a greased and lined 10-inch sandwich tin.
7. Bake in oven 200° C for about 30 minutes or until the edges are done and the centre is still a bit gooey.

Now here’s the Thermomix version of the same recipe:

Jane’s Hampshire Lavender Chocolate Cake, Thermomix version

(The Thermomix recipe technique is based on the Chocolate Mousse recipe in Fast and Easy Cooking by Janie Turner.)

Prep time:          9 mins (gee, that’s faster…)
Cooking time:    30 mins
Serves:            same 6 greedy chocolate lovers

1. Preheat the oven to 200° C. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch sandwich tin (that’s a cake pan for US readers) and line the bottom with baking paper (waxed paper).
2. Make Coralie’s Easy Lavender Sugar: Weigh the sugar into the Thermomix bowl using the built-in weighing scales. Add the lavender and Grind 10 seconds/Speed 10. Tip out into a bowl and set aside. If you don’t care to add lavender, simply grind the sugar into icing sugar 10 seconds/Speed 10; tip out and set aside.
3. Grate the chocolate pieces 15 seconds/Speed 8.
4. Scrape down the sides of the Thermomix bowl with the spatula. Add the butter and heat 3 minutes/37° C/Speed 2. (Note: 37° C is the perfect temperature for melting and tempering chocolate and Britain’s foremost chocolatiers use the Thermomix daily.)
5. Add the egg yolks and flour and mix 15 seconds/Speed 4. Scrape sides of Thermomix bowl and mix again 5 seconds/Speed 4. Scrape out the mixture into a large mixing bowl.
6. Wash the Thermomix bowl, lid and Butterfly whisk with hot soapy water; rinse and dry thoroughly. They must be grease-free to properly whisk the egg whites. Insert the Butterfly whisk and add the egg whites to the bowl. Whisk 2 to 3 minutes/37° C/Speed 3½/Measuring Cup OFF. While whisking, gradually add the Lavender Sugar through the hole in the lid. Check the egg whites frequently to ensure you do not over whisk them or you will get marshmallow!
7. Gently fold 1/3 of the whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then mix in the rest. Do not over mix; it’s the air that makes the cake rise.
8. Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin. Bake approximately 30 minutes; check after 20 minutes or so to ensure it is not over done. This cake is best when it is still slightly gooey in the centre! Serve hot or at room temperature.

So what’s all this about a Thermomix? Well, here’s a picture:

“Built-in weighing scales”??

If you’re not lucky enough to own a Thermomix, click here for more information.

Now enjoy that cake and think of the Great British Summer!

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