h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How can this have got past the moderators? Clearly it is not the 'Ultimate' chocolate cake. If it were it would not be full of substandard ingredients like cooking chocolate!
Where's the belgian 70% cocoa mass chocolate?
I am not pleased.

PS I do have a recipe I regard as pretty ultimate but unfortunatly I cannot divulge it (family secret passed down by cooks in each generation I'm afraid)
However Nigella Lawson has got some pretty spankingly good ones in 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' and Nigel Slaters in 'Appetite' ain't half bad.

As an amateur baker I was very interested in this recipe. Just a quick question though. Is Caster sugar the same as what we know in the US as white or granulated sugar? Judging from the recipe I am pretty sure I am right on this but I would like to get some confirmation before I risk my ingredients. As a sidelight, do you know where that designation comes from? Is Caster a name or somehow descriptive? Thanks in Advance for the help.

MCDQ

granulated suger we have over here too, castor sugar is lot finer. granulated sugar can useually be used but in some cases it can give what ever you are baking a grainy/gritting texture. castor sugar gives it a softer texture.

so Caster = powdered, essentially

not quite i think, icing sugar is i guess what i'd consider powered sugar, your best bet with this is just to try it with granulated.

Yeah I say go with the granulated too. It should work ok but be sure to fold the mixture carefully to try and kep some air in to help keep it lighter.
I suppose a particularly obsessed person might try grinding the sugar with a pestle and mortar. Seems a bit hardcore though.
DON'T use Icing sugar whatever you do.
Good Luck

Ooooh noooo! You don't want to use granulated. That will give it a nasty texture. You can put granulated sugar in a mixer and grind it up that way appparently: so I've heard. Its worth being obsessed and putting in the right sugar. Icing sugar is also a no.

As to cooking chocolate - read for that what you will. My Mum always uses cooking choccie but I do agree about the 70% stuff. This is often groaned at by many of my 'choc' loving friends who really only like Mars Bars (not real chocolate). Substitute for what you like and who is going to be eating it!

my mum has a fansastic recipe for cookie made with mars bars

I didn't want to come over too strong with the chocolate thing. There are nice cakes made with chocolate other than the real thing. Its just that if this is meant to be the 'ultimate' cake it should strive to be the zenith of chocolate which simply demands the real thing.
Does that grinding with a mixer thing really work? Not that I need to know of course, living in a country that is civillized enough to have a full range of sugars, but I am curious as to whether whopping great blades would do any good.

Just read all this and realised I sound really really horrible and arrogant!

Sorry!
I guess cake brings out the worst in me. I go all Gordon Ramsey when I talk cooking.

No Probs . Cake is v. important subject and its good you don't treat it lightly.

As to the caster sugar, my old school chum always bought her grinded sugar in for home ec so I guess it might work. I'm sitting on the fence here because I've never tried it!


Incidently, I have tried melting Mars Bars to make a yum sauce (add some cream if you like) and pouring this over ice cream. Yuuuuuuummmmmm! Food of the Gods indeed.

Happy Friday!

Ah yes. that's what Mars bars were made for. All those people who eat them out of the packet are plain wrong.

I'm gonna start a conversation on my page about cake in general for lovers and general tips. If there's interest maybe we can set up an H2g2 cake forum.

in my (all girls) college our toastie bar does mars bar toastie which some people love but i find incredibly sickly.

Cake forum!!!!! Consider me there....

Hello Steve here i'll join forum too mmmmm i love

Yes, put the granulated sugar in a blender or a coffee/spice grinder & blitz for a few seconds. It does work.