We Are Therefore Christ's Ambassadors

You might think I have added chopped chocolate bits in the Chocolate Cream Pound Cake. No, I did not. Thinking this is an easy cake to bake, I didn't pay much attention to it and have absentmindedly left out the chocolate paste after I have stirred in the flour. To avoid over mixing, the chocolate paste was unevenly blended.  Tsk, Tsk, I have never learnt my lesson of smugness when baking simple cakes.

Fortunately, the cake turned out great and the bits of chocolate paste in the cake didn't feel lumpy at all but taste like strong bitter chocolate chips.
A traditional pound cake consists equal parts of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. In the early days, it was measured a pound of each of the ingredients, giving the name pound cake.
I had my first taste of pound cake from Sara Lee. It was a treat to have Sara Lee pound cake when I was younger. I used to love Sara Lee pound cake for its fine texture and taste(vanilla only)

I baked this cake because I want to know if it tastes like Sara Lee Chocolate Pound Cake.(not really a good comparison).  Like other pound cakes which I have baked before, this neither looks nor tastes like Sara Lee Chocolate Pound. Well, that doesn't mean this cake is ordinary.  In fact, I find it rather nice, the right sweetness(after reduction) and texture and most importantly the intense chocolate flavour which Sara Lee lacks.. If I have blended the chocolate paste well, the taste could have been better and the colour nicer. My cake has an ugly top, so I am not giving it away but to turn it into something else. Chocolate Raisin Rum Balls!

Whenever I want to make Rum Balls, I would use leftover plain chocolate cake or buy Sara Lee chocolate pound. I am too lazy to bake a cake just for Rum Balls. Rum ball is so retro to me. Many neighborhood bakeries used to sell them but now very few do.  Here in local bakeries, rum balls are usually made of chocolate cakes and not biscuits or wafers.


Chocolate Cream Pound Cakes
Cake Keeper by Lauren Chattman

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder (valrhona cocoa)
1/4 cup heavy cream (thickened cream)
1 cup plus 2 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar (1 1/3)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

• P{reheat the oven to 325F. Grease a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour ( Ikea loaf pan, dusted cocoa).
• Sift the cocoa powder through a fine strainer and into a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a micro-wave safe measuring cup and heat until just boiling, 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on the power of your microwave. Pour the hot cream over the cocoa and stir and mash with a spoon to make a thick paste. Set aside to cool.
• Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
• Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Beat in the cocoa powder until smooth.
• With the mixer on medium low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes (50 minutes), Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
• Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Raisins Rum Balls

Simmer 100g of chopped raisins with 120ml dark rum. Turn off heat and let raisins macerate for 5 minutes. Crumble the cake (600g) and mix with 3 tablespoons of orange juice. Add in the raisins and rum. Scoop out the cake mixture into golf ball size (35g), shape and coat with chocolate rice. Keep in air tight box in the refrigerator.
*Add in more liquid, rum or orange juice if mixture is dry

This post is linked to Bake-Along 'Chocolate Cream Pound Cake'  hosted by Zoe, Lena and Joyce.

Totally Transformed

The Sunday School Annual Camp will be in held in November 20th - 22nd.  The camp theme is "Totally Transformed". The theme is basically about discipleship which the Sunday School children have learnt from the Child Evangelism Fellowship trainers recently.
We are calling our past campers soon but the camp would still be beneficial for new unchurched kids. The Sunday School children also need to exercise what they have learnt from the trainers and can start by inviting their non Christian friends.

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20