mmm... Chocolate

Compare and contrast... words that make many a student roll their eyes. Compare and contrast the writing styles of... Compare and contrast the foreign policies of... You get my drift. Well here we go again. Compare and contrast these chocolate cake recipes; chocolate fudge brownies, a recipe I cut from the Family Circle magazine years ago and the No Fuss Fudge Cake, a recent find on the Simple Savings website.

Can you tell from looking at them (probably not because I’m still learning to take good food photos) which is higher in cost and calories? You can’t and you can’t even taste the difference. The Chocolate Fudge Brownies are a traditional brownie recipe, making a solid but fudgey block that is easily cut into squares and eaten for afternoon tea or into larger pieces and served warm with chocolate sauce and cream for dessert.
The No Fuss Fudge Cake is the one you make when you haven’t had time to shop; the cupboard is empty and visitors are due. It contains no eggs, no milk, no butter and no chocolate. I now make it in a loaf tin which makes it easier to cut for school lunches, or in muffin cases.

Both are wonderful and delicious. The fudge cake recipe produces a high quality cake but is very easy on the pocket. I make it at least once a week and I’ve had no complaints from my boys.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies
250g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
150g unsalted butter (I always use salted because that’s what I have)
175g (3/4cup) caster sugar
3 eggs, whisked (or just dropped in as it is quicker)
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence*
150g walnuts, roughly chopped (I leave these out as none of us like nuts in sweet food)
75g (1/2 cup) plain flour, sifted (or not)

Pre heat oven to 160C and line a 20cm square cake tin
Place the chocolate and butter – m/wave is the easiest. Zap in short bursts and stir regularly. Cool slightly
Add sugar, eggs and vanilla to the chocolate and stir until well combined
Stir in flour and walnuts or other ingredients that you might be using
Pour into pan and bake 35 – 40mins until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Cool in pan

No Fuss Fudge Cake
1 1/2 cups plain flour

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla essence*

1 tablespoon white vinegar

6 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon bicarb soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 180 C and line a 20cm tin with paper
Put the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarb and salt in a bowl
Combine vanilla, vinegar, oil and water, add to bowl
Mix with beaters until smooth. You can use a bowl and spoon if preferred
Pour into the tin and bake 35 to 40 minutes
Cool for 10 minutes then remove from the tin
Ice with your preferred icing.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie

No Fuss Fudge Cake

* You’ll notice in the pictures of ingredients, the bottle of Vodka, or what looks like a bottle of Vodka. It is my vanilla extract. It was once a bottle of Vodka, but I added two cut vanilla beans and shake it regularly. Any alcohol comes off during the cooking process and I use it in all recipes that require vanilla.