If you are making a chocolate sponge. Use the same ingredients given and add 2 tablespoons of Rowntree's cocoa powder mixed to a paste with 3 tablespoons of boiling water. Let it cool and add it to the creamed butter and sugar mix.
Do use unsalted butter for the flavour and beat it with the sugar until it is nearly white
Then add the cocoa powder mix.
Use Rowntree's cocoa powder because it has a darker and more intense flavour than any of the others.
Does it have to be a chocolate butter icing? or could you fill with a chocolate ganache?
Can you tweak the basic recipe in any way?
This recipe is for a grown up chocolate butter icing
6oz dark chocolate not the 50% cocoa solids as that can be a little too bitter
3oz unsalted butter
Soften the butter.
Melt the chocolate either in a basin over a pan of hot water or on a very low power in the microwave.
Add the melted chocolate to the butter, leave till cool and whisk in a mixer like crazy until it goes light and fluffy, then fill the sponge.
I don't know if you would be allowed but I would also make some of the chocolate mix and spread a layer on the sponge before spreading on the fluffy mixture to give a contrast in textures and colour.
I don't make cocoa powder and icing sugar butter creams as I find them too sweet.
I also add 2 tablespoons of made expresso coffee too to give a grown up taste. Not sure if that will be allowed.
Scone recipe as follows. This is a basic scone recipe;you could make a Devon scone which is heavy on the butter by using 6oz butter:D
Don't use marg, butter tastes much better.
1lb SR flour
4 oz or 6oz unsalted butter
4oz caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 pint milk
2 eggs
8oz sultanas soaked in hot water over night. Drained and dried. This make your dried fruit moist
RUb butter into the flour, salt and baking powder until breadcrumbs. You can do this part in a food processor.
Tip flour and butter mix into a bowl,
Stir in sugar and sultanas.
then mix the eggs and milk together and stir this into the mix with a round bladed knife until it just comes together.
Tip the mix onto a very well floured work surface and pat the mix until it is about 3/4 of an inch deep..
Use a plain round cutter dipped in flour to cut out your scones.
Do NOT OVER WORK OR OVER HANDLE or they will go tough
place them on a greased baking tray or a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Must be parchment not greaseproof paper.
Brush the tops with milk or some beaten egg
Bake at 210C for about 10 minutes....... I brush mine with milk and sprinkle them with some caster sugar.
I do this recipe soaking sultanas in lemon juice, adding lemon rind to the mix and serving with cream and homemade lemon curd
Haven't they got a free choice section for cakes?
Hope this helps me dear.