New Orleans Chocolate Cake

This cake I am sharing with you today is very dangerous.

Very, very dangerous, and on several levels. Its rich and
chocolaty, and probably loaded with calories that you
don’t want to think about. You best be making it when
you have someone to share it with. Trust me on this.
This cake consists of a rich chocolaty layer cake, filled
with a scrumptious fruit and nut caramel filling, whipped
cream and then frosted with a scrumptious sour cream
bittersweet chocolate frosting!
Its not an every day kind of a cake. its a special cake. The
kind of cake you might want to bake when you have
something you want to celebrate. occasions like
anniversaries, or, perhaps a birthday!
Bear in mind that this cake is so rich and so delicious that, even though it is only 8 inches in diameter. it feeds
16 people. You wouldn’t want a really large piece of this!
A sinfully delicious chocolate cake that you will be unable to resist.

Ingredients:
For the Cake:
280 g plain flour (2 cups all purpose)
1 tsp baking soda
120 g butter (1/2 cup)
120 ml salad oil (1/2 cup)
100 g unsweetened dark chocolate (broken into squares)
380 g sugar (2 cups)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
120 ml sour milk (1/2 cup)
240 ml water
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Filling:
60 ml water (1/4 cup)
150 g evaporated milk (NOT the sweetened condensed)
150 g sugar (3/4 cup)
40 g seedless raisins chopped (1/4 cup)
125 g chopped dates (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
60 g chopped toasted walnuts of pecans (1/2 cup)
You will also need 120ml (1/2 cup) of chilled heavy cream
For the Frosting:
170 g semi sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
60 g sour cream (1/2 cup)
pinch salt
Instructions:
How to cook
Preheat the oven to 180° C. Butter two 20 cm cake tins and line the bottoms with baking paper. Place the
chocolate for the cake, salad oil and butter in a saucepan. Cook, stirring to melt the chocolate and
amalgamate everything. Stir in the water. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
To make sour milk, add 1 1/2 tsp of vinegar to a cup and fill with milk to measure. Do this now.
Sift the flour and soda into a bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the sugar, eggs, sour milk and vanilla to
combine. Stir in the chocolate mixture, just to combine and divide between the two cake tins. Bake in the
preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. The tops should spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in the tins
for 5 minutes before tipping layers out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the baking paper and
discard.
To make the filling combine the water, milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the
sugar. Add the raisins and dates. Cook, stirring until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat
and stir in the vanilla and nuts. Set aside to cool.
Whip the cream for the filling until stiff peaks form.
Place one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread with the filling. Top with the whipped cream to cover and then
place the remaining layer on top.
To make the frosting, melt the chocolate pieces in the top of a double boiler over hot water until smooth.
Stir in the sour cream and salt. Beat until smooth and then allow to cool until it is of a spreading consistency.
Spread over the top and sides of the cake. Chill one hour prior to serving.