This is a prototype bake – impressive to look at and very tasty to eat. With three types of chocolate involved what else would you expect? I must point out that the recipe is ongoing. I’m in the process of “tweeking” it to make it lighter, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t bake it and enjoy it right now.

Makes: 10 – 12 pieces

Time: About 50 minutes + cooling/waiting time + 25 minutes to decorate

Level: Moderately easy

Equipment: A Bundt tin approx. 210cm/8½” across the open end. (You could probably use a 20cm/8″ round tin instead, with a slightly longer time in the oven.)

Cake ingredients

butter for the tin (see advice below)
125g/4½oz white chocolate, broken into pieces
160g/5¾oz plain flour (If using Gluten free flour add ½ tsp xanthan gum powder)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
175g/6oz caster sugar
A medium orange (Zest and juice*)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
160ml/5¾fl oz milk
75ml/2½fl oz vegetable oil
1 tsp orange extract
75ml/2½fl oz boiling water
75ml/2½fl oz warm orange juice*
A few drops of orange food colouring

Decorating option ingredients

60g/2oz dark chocolate
60g/2oz milk chocolate
60ml/2fl oz double cream
20g/¾oz unsalted butter
Any chosen sprinkles or similar adornments

Preparation

You could spray inside the tin with cake release, but I always prepare mine this way. I brush the inside with melted butter then leave it in the fridge or somewhere cool for a while so it sets. For extra certainty I sometimes repeat this and keep it in the fridge until needed.

Method

1. Prepare the tin as above. Place a baking tray or baking stone in the oven and pre-heat to 180C° / Fan 160° C / 350° F / Gas 4.

2. Melt the white chocolate, preferably in a bain marie, using a very low heat setting.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Add in the sugar and mix together. (+xanthan gum powder if going GF)

4. Add in the melted white chocolate and all the other cake ingredients except the boiled water, orange juice and food colouring. Beat it all together until smooth and well combined.

5. Add the boiled water and warm orange juice gradually to the main batter while mixing. It will be a very runny mixture and might need lots of mixing as these liquids don’t combine readily. While doing this, add in a few drops of food colour then add more to obtain the depth of colour that you want.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Check by inserting a skewer into the deepest part of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is done.

7. Remove from the oven and set aside for about 10 minutes to cool. If necessary, use a small crank-handled spatula or round-ended knife to carefully ease the cake away from the sides of the tin. Once it has become firm, invert the cake onto a wire rack and leave to cool fully.

8. For the chocolate ganache, separately heat each chocolate with half of the double cream in two bain maries over very low heat until the chocolate melts then add half of the butter and stir in. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth and glossy.

9. Wait until each ganache has cooled to the point where it’s still pourable, but thick enough not to run off immediately. Carefully spoon or pipe each ganache into alternate rivulets. Before they set, add the sprinkles**.

** I usually tip some sprinkles out of their container onto a saucer then take a small amount on a teaspoon, which I flick gently to spread them on the chocolate.

Gallery 1