THE RAZZLE DAZZLE RECIPES

Steps:

• Coconut-Pecan frosting (recipe follows).
• Oven at 350ºF.
• Melt chocolate in water, cool.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Beat in egg yolks.
• Stir in vanilla and chocolate.
• Mix flour, soda, and salt.
• Beat in flour mixture, alternately with buttermilk.
• Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.
• Pour batter into three 9-inch layer pans, lined on bottoms with waxed paper.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until cake springs bake when lightly pressed in center.
• Cool 15 minutes; remove and cool on rack.
• Frost cake.
• COCONUT-PECAN FROSTING.
• Combine evaporated milk, sugar, slightly beaten egg yolks, butter or margarine and vanilla in saucepan.
• Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat.
• Stir in shredded coconut and chopped pecans.
• Cool until thick enough to spread.
• Makes 4-1/4 cups.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3 and place a loaf-tin liner into a 10x20cm/4x8in and 5cm/2in deep 450g/1lb loaf tin, or line the bottom with parchment and butter the sides.
• The easiest way to make this is to put all the loaf cake ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides a couple of times.
• If you don’t have a processor, then I advise you to use almond paste rather than marzipan and beat it together with the butter and vanilla until thoroughly combined, then beat in the sugar. Stir the flour, salt, baking powder (though if you’re not making this in a processor, use just ¾ teaspoon) and cardamom together. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture, one at a time, adding a third of the dried ingredients after each egg. Carry on beating when everything’s in, to make sure you have a coherent batter with no lumps of almond paste visible.
• Pour and scrape into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes (adding a loose covering of foil after 30 minutes to stop it browning any further), or until the cake is beginning to come away from the sides and a cake tester comes out clean. It runkles a little on top as it cools.
• Slice, and enjoy with a cup of tea.