Chocolate/cocoa fruitcake

[andiesenji]

Helene, Canadian blogger extraordinaire, has taken the time to convert one of my antique family recipes to a Thermomix version and has posted it on her blog.

This was a complicated process and she has done a masterful job and this previously time-consuming project has been reduced to something that should make it much easier to prepare this cake.

The link is here:  http://www.superkitchenmachine.com/2009/3268/thermomix-cake-kuchen-recipe.html

I am very impressed with her efforts and I plan to prepare the Thermomix version shortly. 

Thank you!  Helene

[judydawn]

Isn't it wonderful how our members work together to produce such masterpieces.  Well done Helene and thanks andiesenji for providing the original recipe.

[Thermomixer]

Thanks for sharing Andiesenji and thanks for doing the conversion/cooking TMB Helene    A good one for Christmas

[cookie1]

That looks lovely and quite different. Thanks Helene and Andiesenji. It's on my to make list.

[ThermomixBlogger]

You are so very welcome - and thanks Andiesenji for mentioning it here!   

As I said on my blog this little challenge really pushed me beyond my comfort zone as I am NOT a baker by any means. ( I'm not even partial to sweets!)     buuuuut, this was really fun to do because the recipe was such a good one and used high quality ingredients, and the result was so incredibly appreciated by all who tried it.

I was also trying to stay true to the spirit of the recipe while allowing for the modern efficiency that Thermomix brings to all we do. For this reason, I was so very happy to incorporate two Thermomixed "old-time" aspects: making the required butter at home by TMX and making the required applesauce. By doing these steps ourselves I, for one, feel more connected to the originator of the recipe who lived and baked in such a different era. I thought about the originating great-grandma constantly as I worked this over by Thermomix.


The first time I made the cake it resulted in too much batter for Bimby  and I had to juggle between hand-mixing and TMXing.  But I did get one huge party-size Bundt cake plus two small 'gift cakes' out of it. The party cake was shared by about 20 or so at a musical gathering that same night and EVERYONE loved it. I think people today really do appreciate cakes that are not overly sweet, but very tasteful and healthy too. The applesauce in this one makes it 'my kind of cake' for sure, and the Dutched (Callebeaut) chocolate goes a long way to making it special too.

Now, about the icing.... The icing really pushes this cake over the top, and it is up to each cook -- I believe -- to determine what kind of icing will best suit his/her guests. The Cointreau 'glaze' I tried first was not ideal, even though I drilled some holes down into the cake and let these fill with the glaze... so I then topped that glaze with a Cointreau sugar frosting. This made for a snappy but sweet icing on a delicious cake, but still not as best as could be.  So after much deliberation I finally settled on a version of Rum Sauce  which I modified to suit my own taste (lemon, lemon, lemon) and which now also appears on the blog. (http://www.superkitchenmachine.com/2009/3543/thermomix-rum-sauce-recipe.html)

Andiesenji an experienced creative gadget-loving cook is so well suited to the Thermomix, I was thrilled to see her acquire one, and happy to help with this recipe.

Today it is snowing and I'm thinking warm thoughts of Australia as I wave at you with mittens on!

Cheers,
TMB

[cookie1]

Snow, how wonderful.  I am working on DH and DD to come to Canada next Christmas. I would love to experience one white Christmas.
It seems hard to imagine snow when it was 39.2⁰C or 102.56⁰F here yesterday. Not as nasty as all the 40+ degrees Adelaide had a while ago.

[Thermomixer]

Thanks TMB - sounds like you had some fun.