All About ME

Disney Classic # 39 - The Emporer's New Groove

Hello! It's good to be back!!

I have a confession to make - The Emperor's New Groove was the last Disney film I went to watch at the cinema up until The Princess and the Frog was released last year - and since that day in 2001 I've harboured a severe dislike for the film. If I'm completely honest, when I first started hosting Disney Movie Nights at my house I had said that we wouldn't be watching this movie (and a few of the others that came out in the 2000's!) and instead would switch in the Disney/Pixar films... but it was decided later that it wouldn't be right to miss out films just because I don't like them/haven't seen them and that we should do all 50 in the collection.

Anyway, the point of telling you this is to explain why I was less than enthusiastic about this film, and for the cake decided to just rely on my fail-safe of "a recipe from the place where the film is set". So I did a little googling a found out that the Emperor of The Emperor's New Groove is an Inca Emperor. So I did a little more googling and found out that most Inca dessert recipes contain quinoa, which for some reason just doesn't sit right with me. I mean quinoa is delicious... in savory dishes. I'm just not sure that it would be so great in a cake. (This is rich coming from a girl who puts cocoa powder in her chilli con carne...!) So I decided to continue googling to see if I could find anything else when I came across this recipe for Inca Kola cake, which has Inca Kola in it. I thought it looked pretty good, and apparently Inca Kola tastes like pineapple bubblegum Irn Bru cream soda but better, so I really wanted to make this cake.

Problem: Inca Kola is not readily available in the UK. (Story of my life as a blogger!!) However, as I had a fair bit of time between the last cake and this one, I was able to track some down at a small Peruvian restaurant in London Bridge (with a LOT of help from Helen!)... and so the Inca Kola cake was born!

Now, at risk of offending many people who are completely infatuated with Inca Kola... I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when I tasted Inca Kola for the first time. Not because it wasn't delicious... it really is!! But it tastes just like Irn Bru. I think Irn Bru is fizzier... but the taste is so similar I think you could do something similar to the Pepsi challenge and many people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two (except for that one is bright yellow and the other bright orange... that's a bit of a give away!)

Prep time: 20 mins        Cook time: 1 hour                   
Makes 1 bundt cake and 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
225g butter
110g shortening
500g caster sugar
5 eggs
90ml sour cream
1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
200ml Inca Kola
450g self raising flour

For the glaze:
175g icing sugar
2 tbsp Inca Kola
Coloured sugar strands to decorate

A couple of notes before I begin:

1. I had to convert this recipe from American "cups" - which I still can't get my head around - and somehow I ended up with enough mixture to make a whole ring cake AND 12 cupcakes. If that is too much cake (if there is such a thing!!) I would suggest reducing each item to 3/4... on estimate this should leave just enough mixture for the ring cake... even though the cupcakes were delicious!
2. This mixture doesn't rise an awful lot, so go ahead and fill you ring tin almost to the top!
3. This recipe is very simple if you have a free standing mixer. A handheld mixer is slightly more tricky, but still doable. Mixing by hand will take a lot of time and elbow grease!
4. Start with all of your ingredients at room temperature!

OK so after all that babble, it's time to tell you how to do it!

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 3 and grease a ring/bundt tin
2. In a very large bowl mix together the butter and shortening until smooth and creamy.
3. Continue beating whilst you add the sugar a little at a time, until it is well combined and the mixture is light in colour and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating continuously.
4. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, the rind of the lemon and a tbsp of juice from the lemon and beat until well combined.
5. Add the flour and Inca Kola a little bit at a time alternating between the two until just mixed.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour - 1 hour 15. Make cupcakes with any remaining mixture.
7. Once a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in it's tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
8. To make the glaze, mix the Inca Kola into the icing sugar a little at a time until you reach to desired consistency. Spoon the glaze over the cake and decorate with sprinkles.
9. Cut into slices and serve.

Next time we're watching Atlantis, and I'll be making some very blue cupcakes!

Happy Thoughts
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