Recipe: Moist Rooibos Chocolate Cake with Rooibos Chocolate icing

I love this recipe and make it often and though it sounds complicated it is quite easy to make and not as rich, for a moist chocolate cake.

This cake rises quite well so you can also opt to to create a 3 layer cake ie. Use 3 separate baking tins...or simply use 2 cake tins and create 2 sepearate cakes decorated differently.

Try it out for yourself...remember though that you can turn any batter into a rooibos one by simply adding a tea bag to any of your liquids included in the ingredients preferably hot water or liquids you can heat to get the full potential of the rooibos.


ROOIBOS CHOCOLATE CAKE

BATTER                                                

250ml boiling water
1 rooibos tea bag                          
125ml cocoa powder
4 extra large eggs
375ml or 1,5 cups sugar
125ml oil
1tsp vanilla essence
2cups cake flour
1 tblspoon baking powder
1/2tsp salt

Cooked chocolate icing

400ml boiling water
2 rooibos tea bags    
250ml sugar
50ml butter
50ml cocoa powder
50ml cornflour
1tsp vanilla essence
a few hazelnuts



Preheat oven at 180 deg.
Grease two 20cm round cake tins.

Steep tea bag in boiling water till strong and then dispose tea bag. Mix cocoa into rooibos tea to make a smooth paste.

Seperately whisk egg yolks and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the oil and vanilla essence. Now add the cocoa mixture and mix well.

Sift together flour, baking powder &salt.
Add the cocoa mix and mix well.

Seperately whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form (turn your beater upside down if stiff peaks form its right if soft and floppy beat some more) then gently fold into cocoa mixture.

Pour into cake tins bake for 40 mins. Remove soon as done.


Icing:

Steep tea bags into boiling water in a saucepan till strong then dispose.
Add sugar and butter and stir till butter melted and sugar dissolved on low heat.

Mix cocoa powder and cornflour with a little of the rooibos mixture to make a smooth paste. Add to remaining rooibos mixture and heat, stirring continuously until mixture comes to the boil and thickens. Add vanilla essence and leave to cool slightly before putting into fridge to chill.

Then decorate cake as desired, top with hazelnuts or topping of your choice. Also try fresh sliced fruit and whipped cream or white chocolate instead of the cooked icing.


Enjoy:)