Jeremy Vincent: Recipe for chocolate cake

Let's enjoy cooking !!



RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE

Vinegar may seem like a strange ingredient to use in a chocolate cake, but it provides a wonderful contrast to the sweetness provided by other ingredients. Copha is another feature of this recipe, providing a lighter finish. You can substitute margarine, but the water content in margarine will not give the same light result.

Serves 10-12
½ cup milk
1½ teaspoons white vinegar
150g copha (vegetable shortening, from the supermarket fridge) plus more for greasing
300g plain flour
400g sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
55g cocoa powder
110g unsalted butter
3 eggs, lightly beaten
THE ICING:
240g icing sugar
16g cocoa powder
¼ cup milk
70g unsalted butter

Mix the milk and vinegar in a bowl; let sit until slightly curdled, about 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 180C. Grease a 23cm x 33cm baking dish with copha. Sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda in a bowl; make a well in the centre. Bring the copha, cocoa powder, butter and ½ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth, 5-7 minutes; let cool slightly. Whisk in the milk mixture and the eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms. Pour the batter into the greased tin and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, 25-30 minutes; let cool.
Make the icing: Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl. Simmer the milk and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted, 3-4 minutes. Whisk in the icing sugar mixture until smooth. Pour the icing over the cake; let it set completely, about 30 minutes.

OTHER USES FOR VINEGAR
To rescue a recipe that tastes too sweet or too salty after you’ve mixed the ingredients, try adding a dash of white vinegar. It may save the day.
You can enhance the flavour of your favourite grilled fish dishes by adding a dash of white vinegar. For firmer, whiter fish, soak your favourite fillet or seafood steak for 20 minutes in 5 cups of water and two tablespoons of vinegar.
When a recipe calls for buttermilk and you don’t have any, add a tablespoon of white vinegar to a cup of milk.

For fluffier, great-tasting rice, add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the boiling water. Your rice will be easier to spoon out and less sticky. Adding two tablespoons of white vinegar to 5 cups of water before boiling eggs will prevent cracking, and the shells will peel off faster and easier when they’re done. A mixture of ½ cup of white, cider or wine vinegar added to a cup of liquid stock makes a great marinade base. Vinegar is a great solution for cleaning the inside of food-stained saucepans. Soak the saucepan in full-strength white vinegar for 30 minutes. Then rinse in hot, soapy water. To keep your waste disposal clean and fresh smelling, make some vinegar ice cubes. Mix one cup of white vinegar in enough water to fill an ice tray, freeze the mixture, then grind cubes through the disposal. Flush with cold water.

TYPES OF VINEGAR
Apple cider vinegar goes well on vegetable salads, seafood and poultry and is an excellent base for making infused vinegars with various herbs, spices or fruits.
Balsamic vinegar is full of subtle complex flavours. It is used in salad dressings, sauces and marinades, even as a topping on fresh strawberries or ice cream.
Malt vinegar is popular sprinkled on fish and chips. It has a hearty taste and can be used to make mayonnaise.
Red wine vinegar can vary in colour. It is used worldwide, especially in Mediterranean countries, in sauces, salads, marinades for red meat, and as a pickling agent for fruits and vegetables.
Rice vinegar is made from rice wine, or sake. It is used in salad dressings, and as a condiment for soups, stews and noodle dishes, and also added to sushi rice, not only for flavour but also for killing bacteria that could be present on raw fish.
Sherry vinegar is smooth and mellow with a slight toasted almond flavour and a sweet and sour taste.
White wine vinegars can vary from white to pale gold. Like apple cider vinegar they go well on vegetable salads, seafood and poultry and they are a good base for making infused vinegars with various herbs, spices or fruits.