SuperSeaweed
About the Recipe
One would expect sugar kelp and chocolate cake to be a strange combination, but in actuality, you can hardly taste the seaweed. When in the cake, the rehydrated seaweed does have a soft fruit-like consistency, which combines well with the raspberries, and a faint richness and saltiness that blend in seamlessly with the chocolate.
The coffee in the cake brings some extra flavor to the cake, as well as aiding its texture. The coffee brings an extra layer of richness to the cake - both improving the texture and the taste. Make sure you add it to the batter while it's piping hot, in order for it to have th biggest effect on the consistency of the cake.
Not only is this recipe easy, but it also tastes very similar to a cake from a box, in fact, the first time my mother made it as my birthday cake (this is her recipe, reproduced with her full permission), my whole family thought she'd made the cake from box - and were surprised to find that she'd made it from scratch!
So, regardless of the occasion, I hope you have fun implementing seaweed... into a cake!
Ingredients
2 cups flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup granulated/cane sugar
1/2 cup oil /butter
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup hot espresso coffee
2 tbs (3tbs + 1tbs) finely chopped dried sugar kelp
1 pack of chocolate frosting
Sprinkles
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 jar raspberry jam (optional)
Preparation
Step 1: Prepare Sugar Kelp: Soak 3 tbs of finely chopped sugar kelp in 1/4 cup water (this will rehydrate the seaweed, and give it a fruit-like consistency), cover and set aside for later.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 165 degrees fan and line 2 baking tins with baking parchment/excess shortening
Step 3: Sift flour, cocoa powder and all other dry ingredients (minus dried sugar kelp)into a bowl
Step 4: In a large bowl, combine all wet ingredients (including sugar kelp) except for the coffee. Once fully stirred, fold dry mix into bowl.
Step 5: Use hand mixer for 1-2 minutes
Step 6: Add hot espresso and stir once more
Step 7: Pour cake mix into baking tin and cook for 18-20 minutes
Step 8: Remove from oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before removing from both pans
Step 9: Once fully cooled, ice the top of one of the cakes with 1/3 of the icing and all of the raspberry ,jam (optional) and top with second layer of cake.
Step 10: Using remaining frosting, fully ice the rest of the second layer, including the edges. Top with sprinkles, chocolate chips, fresh raspberries and the remaining sugar kelp.
Step 10: Enjoy!