Irene Dunne’s Vinegar Chocolate Cake

I got up early on Saturday to make a birthday cake for Mr R’s sis.  I’d never made a cake in a gas oven before and I was a bit perturbed by the seemingly feeble temperature but it turned out fine in the end.

I’m making another one of these tomorrow morning for the lovely James Rumsey’s One Reeler Film Club.  I’m going to be introducing a couple of Percy Smith films

so if you are at a loose end, come on down to the Cinema Museum for some great short films and chit chat.  More details are here….

Oh and it will be Home Movie Day at the Cinema Museum on Saturday.  Alas, it’s the first time for many years I can’t be there with my gramophone spinning tunes.  It will be lovely though, so truck on down there if you can…

Much fun was had at Nick and Julia’s place on Saturday night involving ping pong, wigs and pomegranate margaritas…. YUM!  The cake went down well too.  Tomorrow I’m going to throw caution to the wind and bake the next version at gas mark 4!!!

I’ve fiddled around with Irene’s recipe very slightly to make it easier to follow…

Irene Dunne’s Vinegar Chocolate Cake

400g / 2 cups brown sugar

60g / ¼ cup butter

2 eggs slightly beaten

56g / 2 squares bitter chocolate

5 teaspoons vinegar

260g / 2 cups cake flour*

1 teaspoon soda / bicarbonate of soda

½ teaspoon tartrate baking powder

235ml / 1 cup water

Cream sugar and butter thoroughly.  Add eggs, melted chocolate and vinegar, in the order named, stirring constantly.  Sift the flour with the baking powder and soda. Add quarter of the flour mixture, then quarter of the water, then some more flour, water again, alternating in this fashion until all the ingredients have been added to the mixture.  Bake in two layers in a moderate oven about 325 degrees F / 160 degrees C / gas mark 3. Any favourite icing may be used.

I bake mine for about 40 minutes at 150 degrees as I have a fan oven…