Arabian Chocolate Cake

A delicious combination of a chocolate cake and a spice cake! The cake keeps well, and should actually be baked a day or two before serving to let the flavours blend - frost on the day of serving, however. A cup of coffee is of course the obvious choice to accompany a slice of this cake, but I'm told a glass of red wine works wonderfully, too!

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 18-20
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 200  g butter, at room temperature
• 375  ml sugar
• 3  eggs, at room temperature
• 500  ml all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 3  tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla sugar
• 1⁄2  lemon, juice of
• 1⁄2 lemon, zest of
• 200  ml half-and-half
• 100  ml  chopped  almonds

• Frosting

• 100  g butter
• 200  g powdered sugar
• 1  egg yolk
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2  tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2  tablespoons brewed coffee

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 175 C; grease and flour a 2-litre bundt pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Combine all dry ingredients (from flour to vanilla sugar) and sift the flour mixture into the butter&egg mixture, stir just until incorporated.
5. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, half-and-half and chopped almonds: stir just until incorporated.
6. Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 60-75 minutes, or until the cake tests done.
7. Cool the cake completely before frosting it.
8. To make frosting: Measure all frosting ingredients in a small saucepan and bring gently to boil.
9. As soon as the first few bubbles appear, remove from heat; allow to cool, and frost the cooled cake.
10. Allow the frosting to set before serving.