Tweed Cake (Newfoundland)

canadian-newfoundland-tweedcake Based upon a very familiar and popular cookie square recipe in Newfoundland. A popular treat, especially at holiday baking time, were Tweedies (a.k.a. Tweed Squares). They have a vanilla cake bottom flecked with grated chocolate. The chocolate gets folded into the cake batter to produce the characteristic “tweed” effect. The cake base then gets a liberal layer of vanilla frosting before being topped with a layer of melted chocolate.

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt
4 egg whites
⅓ cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 oz dark chocolate, grated

Frosting:
1½ cups butter
6 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. milk
2 cups chocolate chips
½ cup whipping cream

Grease, flour and line the bottom of two 9 or 10” cake pans with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Separate four eggs, reserving the yolks for later. Beat the egg whites and ⅓ cup sugar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar well.

Add the 4 egg yolks along with the pure vanilla extract and beat until creamy.

Fold in the flour mixture in 3 equal portions, alternating with the 1 cup milk.

Add the milk in two equal portions in between the flour mixture additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Do mot over mix.

Gently fold in the beaten egg whites and sugar.

When the egg whites are almost incorporated fold in the grated chocolate.

Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake the cake portion. Cool completely on a wire rack. Fill and frost the entire two layers with the vanilla frosting.

Make the Vanilla Frosting:
Cream together all of the ingredients until very creamy and fluffy.

You may add a little milk a tsp. at a time, if the frosting seems too stiff to be spreadable. This should be quite a thick frosting with plenty of vanilla flavour. You can add a little more or less mik or icing sugar to get it to a proper thick but spreadable consistency.

Frost the middle and sides of the cake and chill for a couple of hours before adding the chocolate ganache finishing layer.

Make the Chocolate Ganache Glaze:
Melt together the chocolate and cream in a double boiler over low heat.

Cool to lukewarm and spread quickly over the chilled frosting.

Let the chocolate set before cutting and serving.

Makes 16.