'REACHING A DECISION...' BLOG #51 - and ...........

‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’#51             Reaching a decision…

“REACHING a DECISION”…

Yes!  I eventually came to a decision, after much deliberation, tremmmm—m-m-m-mendous angst, and a HUGE  amount of soul-searching…

“Okay” , said I, the‘Maker-of-Mavis’, to ‘My M’ … I was ready to part with some of our excess, “choice furniture” ;  furniture that was superfluous, well it DID  have some sentimental value, and those pieces WERE  terribly aesthetic too, but, *#!hellsteeth!#*, why not?- huh?

So Saturday morning finally arrived, and I had to make that reconnaissance trip (prior to parting-with ANYTHING ) and to counteract the hectic  traffic and congestion on narrow Main Road on a Saturday morning!

A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E  M-A-D-N-E-S-S!  to make that “rekkie” into the nether land of Main Road’s antique and  Used Furniture stores ...in suburbs and areas that Main Road was well-known for…and I, until now, had determinedly kept a wide birth from!

(“Main Road” is the usually congested long narrow road linking suburb-to-suburb;  them being the “Southern Suburbs” of Cape Town, traversing the old dodgy commercial sections too, offering a myriad of ‘cheek-by-jowl’ small shops , until it reaches the City, then continues towards the “Atlantic Seaboard” suburbs  –  the easiest route for any foreign traveler to find their way from suburbs  Simonstown to Sea Point!)

After all, I had to make that iMpossible choice, as to which store was worthy  of handling our superfluous treasures.    I was so determined,  determined  on that ‘Saturday sojourn’ NOT  to buy  ‘any-such-object-of-aesthetic-pleasure’  which might very well take My fancy ….. needing tremendous strength of character NOT  TO BUY ANOTHER piece of………………..

And no!  - no!, I  DIDN’T   find a suitable store to receive our superfluous treasures , but instead I returned home with the most aesthetically pleasing authentic “Mid-20^thCentury Modern” Scandinavian coffee table (with perfectly elegant tapered legs – and a ‘magazine shelf’ suspended from it’s upper regions) , strapped safely onto the back seat of my luxury sedan, secured with both of my backseat’s safety belts, so as to protect the almost-kidney-shaped original bespoke black glass which sat ensconced with-in the table’s “Mid-20^thCentury”    ergonomic top.

But do I tell you, My Reader, that, that table   - the authentic “Mid-20^thCentury Modern” Scandinavian delight, remained strapped to my back seat, knowledge of such acquisition hidden from view, from ‘My M’,  for that whole weekend, and a couple of days more…until I had reached a compromise with My Mind ,  as to which other item of beauty to relegate to storage, whose place in our home THIS  aesthetic treasure would replace!

Oh? ..did I get rid of those other  superfluous treasures , intended that day?

Ahhh……. that is for ‘My M’  to know…..   

And so to recipes…  

A novelty cake I  present to you  - why not?  ….

A  CHOCOLATE   MAYONNAISE        CAKE 

Can you just imagine the expression on your guests’ faces when you proffer them a slice of Chocolate Mayonnaise cake!   The texture is that of a dense cake, baked in 2 smallish round sandwich tins (20cm in diameter), sandwiched together with a layer of warmed apricot jam, and covered with a mousse-like chocolate frosting. Mmmm……

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

½ cup cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

¾ cup mayonnaise

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

METHOD:

1)  Pre-heat the oven to 180*C

2)  Grease 2x 20cm round layer(sandwich)-baking tins, then line the bottom with a circle of greased baking paper to fit exactly ( so that it is easy to remove the cake from the tin) 

3)  Then sift 2 teaspoons cocoa powder into them and swirl, coating base and sides (instead of using flour)

4)  In a bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt – set aside.

5) In a large bowl cream together the sugar, mayonnaise, milk and vanilla.

6)  Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir well.

7)  Pour batter into the 2 prepared baking tins, and smooth till level.

8)  Bake @ 180*C (350*F) for about 20 minutes

9)  Remove from oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes, before turning them out onto a wire cake rack to cool further.

10) When cold, sandwich the layers together: Warm 3 Tablespoons of apricot jam with a teaspoon water, stir, and spread onto the bottom inverted layer, then put the other layer on top  – so that the flat, bases of each layer a together.

THE CAKE BATTER - WITH THE MAIN INGREDIENTS!

LEAVING THE CAKE TO COOL

CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE

A MOUTHWATERING SLICE OF
 CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE

FROSTING: 

1½ cups sifted icing sugar

¼ cup (60g) melted butter

3 Tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

3 Tablespoons buttermilk /or plain yoghurt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

METHOD:

Combine all ingredients, make sure that the melted butter is still warm when you mix these ingredients. This should produce a mousse-like texture. Spoon onto the top of the cooled cake immediately.

              

TEA & A SLICE OF CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE
....Mmmm

So , ‘til next week,

    ‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’