Swirly Organic Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Chips

A personal favourite, dense chocolate cake with chocolate chips, smothered in white and milk chocolate icing. Using organic and local ingredients really does make a difference to the outcome and quality of the cake's taste.

Makes 1 rectangle cake • Preheat oven to 180˚ C/ 200˚ F/ Gas Mark 4 • Vegetarian/Halal

Ingredients:
• 6 oz softened organic butter
• 5.5 oz brown sugar (white caster sugar is fine)
• 3 medium sized eggs, whisked and at room temperature
• 5.5 oz self-raising flour
• 1 oz cocoa powder
• 1 oz dark chocolate chips
• 75g white and 75g milk chocolate pieces (covering)

Method:
A general rule for baking is to start with eggs, and double the quantity of everything else. So a basic cake recipe to fill a 6 inch round tin needs 3 eggs, and 6 ounces of butter, sugar and flour. And a cake can be made in various ways, using the traditional creaming method - where the sugar and butter is whisked until fluffy - or an all-in-one, which involves chucking everything into a bowl with a tablespoon of milk and warm water, and whisking until liquid.

Start off with whisking the sugar and butter in a bowl for at least 8 minutes so the mixture is paler in colour, fluffy and you don't hear that crunch, meaning the sugar has dissolved. Don't use margarine, it's one step away from being a plastic. Rachel's unsalted organic butter is available online.

Pour in a couple tablespoons of whisked egg, whisk the mixture again and keep adding until the egg is completely combined. Watch out for curdling, the mixture may have a weird porridge texture. Just add a tablespoon of very water, and crack on to bake it quick.

Sift both flour and cocoa powder in. Notice that I've used less than 6 ounces of flour so that my cake has a denser taste with the replaced cocoa content. Using a large metal spoon this time, make '8' shapes, mixing and folding the mixture from underneath to the top to keep it light and properly combined.

Add in the chocolate chips. Stir again.

Pour into a rectangle cake tin, of approximate measurements 8 x 4 x 4 inches. Bake at 180˚ C for at least 15 minutes. When the surface has risen and look baked, poke a skewer or toothpick to the base to check it's cooked through. If the stick comes out clean, the cake's fully cooked. (Toothpick test). Take out and allow to fully cool.

Meanwhile, melt the white and milk chocolate in two separate bowls, either over a double boiler or in a microwave.
There are loads of Fairtrade chocolate brands available, and being a chocolate freak myself, I use Green and Black's cooking chocolate. Get a chocolate brand with at least 60% cocoa content.

Dribble this over the cooled cake surface in different areas and using another toothpick, swirl them both together. Overlap the two chocolates, make circles and flick the chocolate over the edges. I went a little overboard with mine.

Allow to cool again or refrigerate for 30 minutes and there you have it. Awesome organic chocolate swirl cake, with chocolate chips! Cut a (thick) slice, pour some double cream or eat with vanilla bean ice-cream. Say bismillah first.

Peace + eco-jihad,
Zaufishan.