As you know from my previous post it was my Hubby’s Birthday and our 5 year anniversary, also you will probably also of gathered by reading my blog that I don’t like to do things by half and Birthdays for my loved one’s are no exception.

 
I decided to take the day off from work and cook Hubby a three tier chocolate cake, seemed a great idea at the time, but I think I rather underestimated just how long it would take and just how hot it is in July. Decorating a chocolate cake in that heat it not an easy task !!!!
 
But hey, I love him & I battled on and the picture above is the finished result. The funny thing is the damn thing took an hour for every year we had been together, 5 hours of mixing, baking, washing up & decorating, but it was all worth it and it tasted amazing.
 
The one thing that I didn’t leave the chance was the recipe, I have been using this recipe for 5 years now (seems to be an eery pattern here!!!) and just glammed it up a bit to turn it into Hubby’s cake.

 
Now I promise the recipe below is VERY simple, it was just me that made it hard work, but you do get a perfect moist cake every time.
 
Buon appetito.
 
Serves 10 – Keeps up to 3 days in an airtight container & I think it actually improves the next day.

 

 
100g spreadable butter, plus extra for greasing
250ml milk
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
100g plain chocolate, melted
15g cocoa powder, sifted (I always use Green & Blacks)
300g self-raising flour, sifted
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sifted
225g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
 
For the icing
225g plain chocolate, broken up
100g butter
142ml carton double cream
 
Preheat the oven to 190c, fan 160c, gas 4.
 
Grease a 20cm round, deep cake tin and line with baking paper.
 
Mix the milk and vinegar together.
 
Place all the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl (thank god for my Artisan). Pour in the milk mixture and beat with an electric mixer or hand whisk until smooth. I tend to beat the ingredients in the bowl together for a couple of seconds first and then dribble in the milk mixture slowly, but its up to you, both ways work equally as well. Once smooth spread into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour, until firm in the centre.
 
Cool for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
 
Meanwhile for the icing, melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave for 3 minutes on medium, stirring halfway through. Alternatively (and this is the way I prefer to do it), melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of just simmering water. Stir until smooth then beat in the cream. Cool slightly.
 
Halve the cake through the middle.
 
Spread a quarter of the icing on 1 half and sandwich together. Spread the rest over the top and sides.
 
You can leave the cake to set as it is or decorate to your choice. Fresh flowers, chocolate strands or curls, will all make this already fab cake something out of the ordinary.