Chocolate and Mulled Cider Cake

As soon as I spotted this recipe for chocolate and mulled cider cake by Will Torrent in the December issue of Jamie Magazine, I knew I was going to have to give it a try. It would make a great alternative to christmas pudding and has the wow factor in both looks and taste. It keeps well for several days in an air tight container. Most supermarkets sell mulled cider or make your own by heating apple cider in a saucepan with a mulling spice sachet or star anise, cloves, a cinnamon stick and a squeeze of orange.

Serves 10
Ingredients
125g salted butter, plus extra for greasing
125g self raising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves
a pinch of ground nutmeg
250g caster sugar
40g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125ml mulled cider
75ml whole milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the mulled cider glaze:
50ml mulled cider
100g dark chocolate
grated white and dark chocolate to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180c or gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm bundt tin or large ring mould tin, then dust lightly with flour, making sure to tap out any excess. Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl.

Slowly melt the butter along with the cider in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove from the heat and add the milk, egg and vanilla, then carefully mix into the dry ingredients.

Spoon into your prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the top of the cake bounces back when pressed. Leave to cool upside down in the tin to ensure the bottom of the cake is flat.

To make the glaze, heat the cider in a saucepan over a medium heat. Break the chocolate up into a bowl and then pour over the hot cider. Stirring from the middle outwards to make a smooth ganache. remove the cold cake from the tin and pour over the ganache. Sprinkle with white and dark chocolate shavings and serve.