Chocolate & Cream Cake

Servings: 16 slices              Time: Around 1 hour 40 mins                  Difficulty: Quite easy

This is a mega rich, ultimate chocolate-hit, bonanza of a cake. Unashamedly big and bold, it will meet any chocoholics cravings – promise!


Ingredients

    For the cake
  • 275g unsalted butter, softened
  • 225g light muscovado sugar
  • 225g golden caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 eggs
  • 325g plain flour
  • 80g cocoa powder
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 300ml buttermilk

    • For the filling

  • 150g white chocolate
  • 300g mascarpone cheese
  • 100g icing sugar, sieved
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

    • For the topping

  • 160 – 170ml double cream

    • – 2 – 3 tbsp golden caster sugar

  • 120 – 130g dark chocolate, chopped
  • 200 – 250g chocolates, sprinkles or other decorations of your choice.

    • Equipment

  • 3 x 8″/20cm round, loose bottom cake tins

Directions

Preparation

1. Weigh and soften the butter.

2. Grease and line the base of the three pans and dust interior very lightly with flour.

3. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour. cocoa powder and baking powder.

4. Lightly mix the eggs in a small bowl and add in the vanilla extract.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/Gas 4.

Method

6. Put the softened butter and both sugars in a large bowl and beat together for at least 10 minutes. The mixture needs to be light in colour and very fluffy.

7. Gradually add the egg & vanilla mixture, beating well between each addition.

8. Add a third of the flour mixture and a third of the buttermilk, gently combining them. Repeat twice.

9. Spoon the mixture equally between the prepared tins. Weigh for accuracy.

10. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes – until the sides of the cakes begin to pull away from the tins, or check by inserting a skewer. It should come out clean when the cake is baked.

11. Cool in the tins for 5 – 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.

12. To make the filling, first melt the white chocolate, either in a bain marie or carefully in a micro-wave. Set aside to cool.

13. Stir together the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla extract then add the cooled chocolate. Beat well to achieve a smooth, thick, but spreadable consistency.

14. On a board or plate, assemble the three cakes, using half the filling between each layer. Use a spatula or a piping bag with a large nozzle. Put cake in the fridge for half an hour.

15. For the chocolate ganache topping, warm the cream with the sugar. Make sure all the sugar has dissolved then add the dark chocolate pieces and stir well to melt and combine. Stir until smooth then leave to cool a little.

16. Drizzle the ganache over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides here and there. When the ganache is cool, but not set, arrange your chosen chocolates and other decorations on top.

17. An optional extra could be to melt a small amount of white chocolate and, when it has cooled, dribble a few small “dabs” on top of the cake. Use a cocktail stick to swirl the white into the dark chocolate.