SALT FISH CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/320ºF/gas 3. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin with a little butter and line with greaseproof paper.
  2. Rest a medium heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water on a medium-low heat. Break in the chocolate, roughly chop and add the butter, then allow to melt, stirring occasionally until smooth and glossy.
  3. Carefully remove the bowl from the heat, stir in the coffee and set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Separate the egg yolks and whites between two large bowls. Whisk the egg whites for 1 to 2 minutes, or until soft peaks form.
  5. Add the sugar to the yolks and beat for 7 minutes, or until pale. Sift in the cocoa powder and 1 pinch of sea salt, then gently fold through to combine.
  6. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture, then gently fold through the egg whites until smooth.
  7. Transfer to the prepared tin and place in the hot oven for around 1 hour, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool completely on a wire cooling rack, then serve with a dusting of cocoa powder and fresh berries.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 150º/300ºF/gas 2. Grease a 20cm square cake tin with butter and line the base and sides with greaseproof paper, lining the sides high.
  2. Tear the stones out of the dates and prunes, then place all the dried fruit in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Decant the mixture into a large bowl, coarsely grate in the apple, finely grate in the clementine zest and squeeze in the juice. Pour in the stout, mix well and leave aside to soak for a few minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, blitz the butter and sugar together in the processor until pale, smooth and fluffy. With the processor still running, one-by-one crack in the eggs, then pour in the milk in a steady stream, blitzing until smooth. Scrape this mixture into the bowl of fruit and fold together with a spatula. Sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa and spices, then fold together again. Transfer to your prepared tin and bake for around 2 hours, or until cooked through and an inserted skewer comes out clean – if it needs a little longer, simply cover the top with greaseproof paper to prevent it from catching. Leave to cool for 30 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  4. Now the fun bit, the decoration. To make royal icing, whisk 3 large free-range egg whites in a large bowl until fluffy. Sieve 700g of icing sugar separately, then, a spoonful at a time, fold it into the egg whites. Once combined, stir in the juice of ½ a lemon and ½ a teaspoon of glycerine. Beat until it forms stiff peaks, then use it to decorate the cake.