Anja Dippenaar's Chocolate Cake Recipe

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“Anja is quietly spoken, so I did a double take when she arrived on the first day sporting a very fashionable, blue hair tinge. As the days progressed to months her true character emerged, as did her chocolate cake recipe. It was worth the wait. Chocolate cake for any family occasion has become a tradition in the Dippenaar household. Anja explains the reason for this.”

— Jackie Cameron

delectable “Champagne Valley Flour” chocolate cake with Peppermint Crisp buttercream frosting

The delectable chocolate cake

Makes one 25 cm cake

Ingredients:

• 1 egg

• ¼ cup (80,64g) Cocoa

• 1 cup (201,6g) White suga

• ½ teaspoon (2,85g) Oryx salt

• 1 teaspoon (5,69g) Baking Powder

• 1 teaspoon (5,69g) Bicarbonate of soda

• 1 ½ cups (302,4g) Champagne Valley Flour

• 1 teaspoon (5,69g) Water

• ½ cup (100,96g) Hot water

• ½ cup (100,96g) Milk that is soured with 1 teaspoon (5,69g) vinegar

• 1 teaspoon (5,69g) Vanilla extract

• ½ cup (100,69g) Canola oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°

2. Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl

3. Take a cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the sides with cooking spray.

4. Take your cake batter and put it in the cake pan

5. Bake the cake at 180°C for 50 minutes

6. Allow the cake to cool on a cooling rack

The Peppermint Crisp buttercream frosting

Makes enough icing for your 25 cm cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (201,6g) Salted butter

• 4 cups (806,4g) Icing sugar

• ½ cup (100,96g) Cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon (5,69g) Vanilla extract

• 2-3 tablespoons (29,5g – 44,5g) Milk

• 1 Peppermint crisp bar

Method:

1. In an electric mixer cream the butter until it reaches a lighter yellow colour. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until it is completely mixed in. It is imperative that the powdered sugar is sieved before it goes in the butter as it could cause the frosting to become lumpy.

2. Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and stir until fully mixed in. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3. Add a tablespoon of milk at a time using the electric mixer until the icing is the right consistency. The less milk you use the stiffer the icing (I used 2 tablespoons of milk for the icing in the picture.)

4. Use a grater to grate in 2/3rds of the peppermint crisp bar into the icing and mix well. Save the leftover peppermint crisp to decorate the top of the cake.

5. Pipe the icing on the cooled cake and decorate with the leftover grated peppermint crisp.