Youngberry chocolate cake with chocolate icing

Youngberry chocolate cake with chocolate icing

Sometimes when we go on travels we buy gifts which end up not being used which seems a bit of a shame considering the distance that it would have travelled. I decided to make use of something picked up in Cape Town last year which travelled to Mauritius before ending up back home in London. Youngberry jam is a jam I have never tried before so I decided to put it into a cake!

Ingredients:

125g dairy-free margarine

100g 72% dark chocolate

300g youngberry jam

100g caster sugar

2 eggs

pinch of salt

160g self-raising gluten-free flour

Chocolate icing

100g dark chocolate

50g dairy-free margarine

3 tbsp water

110g icing sugar sifted

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a cake tin and pop it into the fridge.

Slowly melt the margarine in a pan and just before it has melted pop in the dark chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted, then add the sugar, jam, beaten eggs and salt. When mixed together add the flour and gently mix together until just combined.

Pour into the tin and bake for 45 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out.

To make the icing, add the chocolate, margarine and water in a bowl and melt in a microwave (about 1 minute on 750w). Mix together then add the icing sugar and blend with an electric whisk.

When the cake is cold, slice horizontally and sandwich with some of the chocolate icing. Use the remainder to cover the outside.

The youngberry is a relative of the blackberry and as such has large seeds. These add to the chewiness of the cake but for those who prefer a lighter cake might opt for a smoother jam perhaps. I actually like the contrasting textures!

It goes very well with a port, in particular one I picked up in Calitzdorp on Route 69, a wonderful town which happens to be the port capital of South Africa. This Boplass pink port comes with its own pink feather!

So, do you have any foodie gifts from your travels which are gathering dust?