Chocolate cake
I do love chocolate! We love chocolate, all of us, except Peter. He still gets raisins as a treat and is very happy about that:) This chocolate cake is rich, moist and treacly. Not for everyday pudding but for a very special occasion. Good looking and easily made, definitely worth your attention!
Ingredients:
For the sponge:
- 350g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 225g butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 400g caster sugar
- 400g self – raising flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
For the truffle filling:
- 225g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 150ml double cream
- 150g butter, softened
- 500g icing sugar, sifted
For the frosting:
- 800g icing sugar, sifted
- 120g cocoa powder
- 150g butted, softened
- 600g full – fat cream cheese
Method:
- Preheat the oven 160C/140Fan/Gas 3. You will need 2 deep 23cm round loose-bottomed or springform tin, greased and base lined.
- To make the cake, put the broken pieces of chocolate and butter into a pan. Add 300ml water and heat gently over a low heat, stirring until melted and smooth. Cool slightly.
- Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat with a fork. Add the caster sugar and beat again until smooth. Gradually pour in the melted chocolate mixture and whisk by hand until smooth. Sift the flour and baking powder into the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth.
- Divide evenly between the cake tins. Bake for about 1 hour. After 10 minutes turn on to a wire rack to cool and remove the paper.
- To make the filling, sit a bowl over a pan of shimmering water. Add the chocolate and cream to the bowl and gently melt, stirring until smooth.
- Remove from the heat, add the butter to the hot chocolate and cream and stir until smooth. Sift in half the icing sugar, and mix, then add the remaining icing sugar and mix until smooth. Set aside to cool until thick.
- To make the frosting gradually mix the icing sugar, cocoa powder and butter together on a low speed until fully combined, using the freestanding electric mixer.
- Add a little cream cheese to loosen the mixture and beat until smooth, then add the remaining cream cheese and mix on a slow speed until incorporated. Turn the speed to high and beat the frosting until light and fluffy.
- Slice each cake in half and sit one piece on a plate. Divide the truffle filling into three and spread a third of the filling on top of one cake, repeat so you four layers of cake and three layers of filling.
- Frost the sides and top of the cake, covering it completely so no sponge is showing. Finally, decorate the cake with the sprinkles:)
”At Home” Mary Berry & Lucy Young
”Home sweet home” The hummingbird bakery