Cake with a Chocolate Heart

Don't you hate how in Blog Land life is always rosy.  Meals are always achingly picture perfect, and everyone is happy!

Well I am here to tell you that life is not always so.

This week has been a week of dismal failures.  Sure it started out well with the Valentine's Feast on Monday - but things took a decided down hill turn after that.

As all my regular readers will know I have recently acquired a Thermomix - I have been steadily getting more confident using it - trying new things and getting accustomed to how it all works.  Last week I made some lovely sweet and sour meatballs - no I didn't blog them because I thought well - it's only sweet and sour meatballs, and if you don't have a TM well the recipe was pretty pointless.  Buoyed on by how well they turned out though I was anxious to try Swedish Meatballs - which I have made in the conventional manner and were a surefire winner!!!  Not so with the TM version!!!  Man those puppies took forever to cook - perhaps in the TM's defence I had overcrowded the varoma, but looking on the Thermomix Form (ps this is a great place to learn more about what the TM can do) I was not the only one to experience this particular problem.

These were the Sweet & Sour Meatballs - they were great!!

No photo taken of the Swedish Meatballs - they didn't even look pretty!!

OK failure # 1.

Next thing I attempted was to make a Marble Cake for "The Darlings" when they came in from school.  All things went well - was careful not to swirl the batter too much and just end up with a mottled coloured cake.  It sat there on the bench - proud and beautiful waiting for the first incision into it's multicoloured heart.  First piece - and it wasn't swirled enough!!!  D2 was kind enough to tell me though that it looked like the cake had a Chocolate Heart!  So from hereon in it will be referred to as the Cake with the Chocolate Heart!! (small success!!).

Almost failure #2.

By this stage I was getting pretty desperate - I needed a win to blog about.  Thinking about how lovely the mousse (and the leftover "mousse sausages") were on Monday I decided to have a go at making my own sausages - and steaming them in the varoma - much more healthier than pan frying!  What flavour to make?  I know Pork, Apple and Macadamia.  Headed off up the road to purchase all the necessary ingredient, and set about making them - all looked good.  Was even pretty chuffed about how good they looked all rolled up in their cling wrap casings ready for steaming.  Put as they say - the proof is in the pudding!!

Now we all know that sausages never claimed to be healthy fare - but there are those out there that do claim that theirs are low/er in fat.  Let me tell you - they are lying!  A sausage without fat is a dry boring, mouth circling bit of sawdust!!!  Even the dog tried to bury his leftovers!!!

The mashed potato was the saving grace - did I tell you the TM makes a lovely smooth creamy mashed potato???

I will not even begin to tell you how I made them, or what I put in them, as I do not want to be responsible for any Heimlich Maneuvers that may be deemed necessary after the consumption of these!

So order to feel a little bit better about this week's offerings from the kitchen here is the recipe for the Cake with the Chocolate Heart - see if you can replicate it!!!

Cake with the Chocolate Heart
From EDC- Thermomix Cook Book

300g butter, softened
270g Sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
5 eggs
370ml self raising flour
70g milk
1 tbs cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180C.

Grease a fluted ring pan/bundt tin

Place butter into TM bowl and mix for 1 minute on Speed 5.

Add 250g of the sugar, vanilla, and salt and mix to combine for 45 seconds on speed 5

Add the eggs one at a time through the opening in the lid and mix for approximately 15 seconds on speed 5.

Add flour, 40g of the milk and blend for 20 seconds on speed 5.

Place 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared pan.

Add the cocoa powder, remaining 20g of sugar and remaining 30g milk to the rest of the mixture and mix for 5-10 seconds in speed 5.

Place the chocolate mixture over the white mixture and slightly swirl with a fork (I used a skewer!!) to create a marble effect.

Bake in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Dust with icing sugar to serve.

D2 did love it - so as long as he is happy I guess that is all that matters - he thinks Mummy made him a cake with a heart in it (of course I did Darling!).

So what should I make for dinner tonight now - I live in fear of abject failure!!!

So tell me (please) Dear Readers do you often have a string of failures - please tell me you do - even if you don't - just to make me feel better!!!