This week has been huge for the troop and me. The twins have finally, FINALLY, stopped crying at their nursery after 9 months. Yes i could have grown a whole baby in the ENTIRE time they took turns crying and holding onto my pants every day I left them. I felt like a horrible mother, for about 30 seconds before I ran out of there remember the 200 things on my to-do list that day.

We had one emergency hospital visit two days ago when Roo’s fever spiked to 40C and I panicked. All is well now with a pretty strong dose of antibiotics. The weather has been going a little crazy in UAE this week which does not help a mom of four.

There is just something about living in the UAE that makes you want to use ingredients you grew up with in the recipes that you would make everyday. My fondest memories of Laban ( which is essentially buttermilk) is taking a cold refreshing sip straight from the mini packets with our traditional lunch of rice and curry after a hot day at school. It was not too long after I started cooking that I discovered that chocolate cakes made with laban added a silkiness to the cake that did not exist otherwise.

Mr. A is not a chocoholic, and tigger would prefer vanilla over chocolate any day. Pebbles is a huge strawberry fan ( think it’s just the pink) and Roo is too young to choose. My only inspiration at the moment lies with Bambam who could stuff chocolate in his mouth all day. I have hope, finally. Until he learns to appreciate the chocolate in the cakes, all and any chocolate desserts I create goes to my brother-in-law who could eats these by the kilo. Thank god for family right?

Here is my recipe for an amazing chocolate cake that uses laban and qahwa.

To make qahwa follow the packet instructions. I usually boil 3 tbs of the powder with 2 cups of boiling water, wait for a few min for it to seep before use.

This is my FIRST recipe post so Let me know what you think in the comments below, or just say hai, or remark on my insanity.

Wishing good weather and non-sick days to all….

Chocolate Laban & Qahwa Bundt Cake

 

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Author:

Shafe

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins

Total time: 2 hours

 

This is the most intensely rich and dense chocolate cake recipe i have ever found. The Laban and the qahwa add an extra kick to the cake as well.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 Tbs Corn Starch
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ Cup good quality cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup Laban( buttermilk) (unsalted)
• ½ cup melted butter
• 2 Eggs ( large )
• 1 cap full of vanilla extract ( 1 cap is equivalent to a tsp)
• 1 cup of Hot Qahwa (arabic coffee or regular coffee if you dont have some kahwa on hand) (optional).
• Ganache
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 2 tsp butter ( unsalted)
• 1 tbs cold qahwa (optional)
• 1 and a half cups of 70% coco chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat the Oven to 175.
2. Brush the bundt pan with melted butter.. or Brush some good homemade pan release. (see notes)
3. Sift the flour with the corn starch at-least twice.
4. Whisk together the eggs, laban, butter and vanilla extract together until combined at low speed in a stand mixer.
5. Combine in a separate bowl the flour-cornstarch mixture, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt
6. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture at the lowest speed in 3 parts at least making sure the dry ingredients have completely combined before adding the next part.
7. You can add in the cup of Qahwa or coffee at this stage as it really enhances the flavour of the chocolate.
8. Pour the batter into the mould after you have made sure there are no dry ingredients settled at the bottom of the bowl and its all well combined.
9. Bake in the oven for 45-60 min till a skewer comes out clean when poked in the middle.
10. After the cake is taken out place on a wire rack and cooled for 10 min, pour some really hot water on a kitchen towel and drape the bundt pan from the top. This ensures that the cake gets unstuck from the pan just incase you haven't greased the pan enough. ( which i don't too often)
11. After the pan has fully cooled, invert the bundt onto a cake plate and wait for the cake to cool fully before pouring the ganache.
12. For The Ganache
13. In a saucepan, heat the cream, butter and qahwa till the bubbles start forming all over ( just starting to really boil)
14. pour over the chocolate and wait for 30 seconds before whisking slowly from the middle till it all becomes a beautiful shiny ganache
15. Pour over the cooled cake slowly.
16. I always make extra ganache which i pour on to the cake slices as I serve them.

Notes

Jamie does a great pan release on her blog Love bakes Good Cakes. Find the link Here http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/2015/02/miracle-pan-release.html

3.3.3077

All pictures in this post has been taken by photographer and blogger extraordinaire – Sayana Rahman who blogs over at My Mouth Is Full