Clandestine Cake Club

So I am stupdly excited (again!!!!). I have joined a local group of the Clandestine Cake Club (website here). It is a group of like minded people who like to bake and eat cakes, who meet up every 4-6 weeks in a secret location only revealed a few days before. For each event, there is a theme and the one for this month is Sugar and Spice. After much searching, Mum came a cross a fantastic recipe in a magazine, that I adapted and have tried out below. I am quite excited about it, because I have never used such an unsual ingredient as Cardamom in a sweet recipe before! The only problem with the cake is that I won't be able to try it until tomorrow. Boo!!! The plus side is that there are 27 people going to the event tomorrow and they are bringing 27 different cakes, of which we are able to bring home a slice of each.

                                                  Bring It On!!!!!!!!                                                                                     

White Chocolate and Cardamom Cake.

Makes one 8” cake.

Cake:
14 Whole Cardamoms
100g White Chocolate
175g Butter, softened
175g Caster Sugar
3 Large Eggs
Finely grated zest 1 Orange
175g Self Raising Flour, sifted
75g Desiccated Coconut
3tbsp Milk

Icing:
75g Unsalted Butter
300g White Chocolate
4tbsp Icing Sugar
Chocolate Mini Eggs to decorate

- Preheat oven to 160C/ 120C Fan/ Gas 3 and grease and line an 8" round cake tin.
-Crush the cardamom pods with a pestle and mortar and remove the pods and continue to crush the seeds until finely ground.
- Break the chocolate into squares and place into a heat proof bowl. Put over a pan of simmering water until just melted, taking care not to let the base of the bowl touch the water. Or melt in a microwave in 30 second bursts, until melted. Leave to one side until the chocolate is cold but still liquid.
- Beat the butter and the caster sugar together. Then beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add the orange zest and the crushed cardamom seeds.
-Gently stir in the flour, coconut and milk and then add the melted chocolate.
- Pour into the cake tin and smooth out the mixture with the back of a spoon. Bake for 40 mins, but check the cake after 30mins. Cover if browning too much. Leave to cool in the cake tin for 5 mins and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
- For the icing put the butter and chocolate into a heat proof bowl and melt as above. Stir in the icing sugar and spread or pipe on top of the cake once the cake has cooled. Decorate with mini eggs.
Note:

The recipe makes one 8” cake. If making a layered cake, double the quantities above and divide mixture into two greased 8” tins. Spread a little of the icing on top of the bottom layer and then sandwich the top layer on top and then decorate as desired.