A basic but beautifully moist and tasty chocolate pound cake,
alongside little hand piped meringues. 


Books and baking are two of my favourite things and I’ve just discovered a way to combine both! The Better Reading Book Club Live with Cheryl Akle, is on the last Wednesday of every month at 8pm. Prior to each session, the book of the month is announced and so participants have plenty of time to grab a copy and get ready to join in the conversation on-line.

Best of all, you don’t need to rush out the door to reach a book club location or fuss with babysitters or even kick off your Ugg boots. The Better Reading Book Club Livelets you join in the discussion from your comfy chair at home, with your book, tea and favourite baked goods in hand. To get involved just go to the book club’s Facebook page by clicking on this link:
On Wednesday 30th November, Better Reading will be steaming in front of a LIVE audience for the first time! The book of choice will be UK talk show host Graham Norton’s mystery novel, Holding.  

Cheryl Akle is a respected book reviewer and the creative whiz behind the Trust & C marketing agency (http://www.trustandc.com.au/). With boundless energy and a generous nature, Cheryl also helped me to develop Cabinet of Cookery. I hope Cheryl enjoys this cake with her audience, as they celebrate the live streaming of her book club. 

The base is a moist chocolate pound cake (pictured above right). It’s filled with fresh raspberry mascarpone cream which takes it from an tasty, basic afternoon tea cake to something a little more special. I’ve add a bit of edible glamour by coating the cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream, coconut flakes and topping it off with rose scented mini meringues. This is a truly delectable cake, the sort of old-fashioned cake shop offering that leaves you licking your lips with satisfaction after every forkful.  Perfect for your next special occasion. 


Chocolate Pound Cake  
250 g unsalted butter at room temperature
250 g caster sugar (I use raw caster sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
4 large eggs
250 g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons milk
50 g sifted cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees fan forced (or 180 degrees conventional). Grease and line the base and sides of a 22 or 23cm baking tin. 

Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy. 

Add the eggs all at once and beat until just combined. 

Add the remaining ingredients and beat slowing at first to prevent the flour from flying up over the rim of the bowl, before increasing the speak to moderate and mixing until smooth (about 3 minutes). 

Scrape into your prepared tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for 50 – 60 minutes until the cake comes away from the sides of the tin. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. In my oven, this chocolate pound cake takes 50 minutes, but oven temperatures and seals etc do vary between brands and ages of ovens. Best to check at the 50 minute mark and then leave in for an additional 5 or 10 minutes if required. 

Once the cake is ready, leave it in the tin for 20 minutes to cool slightly, before wither turning onto a cake rack to coo further, or sliding onto a serving plate to slice and enjoy whilst still warm. 

If you are decorating your cake, it must be completely cool before any speck of icing is placed against it, otherwise you will end up with a molten, sticky mess. 

This cake is tasty enough to be eaten as is, or with a simple dusting of icing sugar across the top. It also make a welcome addition to the school lunch box or as a home made after school treat. 

Vanilla Butter Cream Icing
250 g unsalted butter at room temperature
650 g icing sugar (I use icing sugar mixture because it doesn’t require fiddly sifting)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or essence
1 tablespoon milk


Beat the butter in either an electric mixer or using hand beaters until it is pale. An electric mixer is faster! 
Add all the other ingredients and beat for about 3 minutes until completely smooth. Taste the icing to make sure there are no grainy sugary bits that can be felt on your tongue. 


Rose Petal Mini Meringues
2 egg whites
120 g caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 tablespoon dried rose petals


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees CONVENTIONAL setting. 

Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. 

Gradually add the sugar in 3 lots, whisking well in between. The mixture will start to thicken and take on a glossy, satin-like appearance. Keep beating until the mixture forms firm peaks that can stand up and not droop over to the side. 

Fold through the cornflour.

Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a fluted nozzle (I used size 9). Pipe little meringue rounds about the size of a 10 cent coin, on a baking tray covered with non stick baking paper. Scatter across dried rose petals. The meringues expand slightly during baking. 

Place in the oven and immediately TURN DOWN the temperature to 150 DEGREES conventional setting. 

Bake for 20 minutes and then turn the oven OFF, but leave the door OPEN with the meringues inside until completely cool. 

Arrange on top of your iced cake, balancing the delicate morsels one on top of the other. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Raspberry Mascarpone Cream Filling
300 ml pouring cream
250g mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 punnet fresh raspberries 


Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and using an electric beater, whisk until it just starts to thicken. 

Add the mascarpone cream, icing sugar and vanilla. 

Whisk again until completely combined and the mixture thickens up further forming soft peaks. Take care not to over beat or you will end up with sweet butter. 

Fold through the raspberries, crushing them slightly to end up with pretty red-pink pieces scattered throughout the snowy cream filling. 





To assemble ... 
Cut the chocolate pound cake in half and smother one side with all of this filling. Carefully reposition the top layer of cake and then cover the entire thing with vanilla buttercream, coconut flakes and mini rose petal meringues. 

In the photo above, I used sweet, diced strawberries and coconut flakes when I made a similar cake for a birthday celebration. This is what your cake should look like when sliced and served. 

* You will need 3 cups of coconut flakes to decorate the sides of this cake. You may also use shredded coconut if the flakes are not available.