Aubergine in a chocolate cake? It'll never work...

At the same time as my attempt at blueberry and lemon scones, I undertook another adventure in the kitchen - using aubergine in a chocolate cake.

I know, it sounds weird; it sounds like it should not work at all.  But then there's carrot cake, so why not other vegetables?  I have previously used courgettes to make a chocolate cake, resulting in a moist cake with a lovely taste without being too sweet.  When I was given Harry Eastwood's recipe book "Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache" as a present, the possibilities for further experimentation with vegetables in baking opened up before me.  This is a gorgeous book and the few recipes I have made from it so far are easy to follow (with helpful tips for novices like me!) and the results have come out rather yummy.  The book also includes some of her "cake diaries".  These are interesting as they give you an insight into the trial and error that is involved in creating the recipes - showing that even for a professional cook, things are not always perfect first time.

For the Ps' visit, I decided to risk making Harry's "Chocolate Heartache" cake.  The aubergines are heated in the microwave before being skinned and puréed.  By the time they have been combined with melted chocolate and all the other ingredients you would be hard-pressed to know there was any aubergine in the cake mix.  The finished result was a deliciously indulgent torte-esque chocolate cake.  I challenged the family to guess the "mystery ingredient" and no-one could - although they all agreed the result was delicious.  Even my brother gave it the thumbs up, and this was after he found out what it did contain - I cannot ask for higher praise than that!

I will certainly be making this cake again.  It has also given me the confidence to be brave in my baking, and I am looking forward to trying another of Harry's recipes soon.  So watch out, the next time you're biting into one of my cakes you may be surprised when you learn what it contains!

To find out more about Harry Eastwood, and to order her recipe book "Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache”, click here.