I wasn’t going to add this recipe, it is a great chocolate cake, but I do have so many cakes already on here. I did think it would be fine to just keep it in the magazine and fish it out when I needed it, but I have baked it so many times now and it so rich and moist that I have decided it would just be easier to add it and then I will always be able to find it.
The first time I baked it was at the request of my friend Fiona and I made the filling and frosting that the recipe recommends, but it is fairly fiddly and I think the sponge works just as well with other recipes. I have since made it with a beautiful aqua blue buttercream frosting for my Daughters birthday and my Son Simon had one made to take into work with a meringue frosting, so as you can see it is fairly versatile.
To be honest, the frosting that the recipe recommends is a bit of a health risk, as you will see in the photograph below, it does require 450g of butter !!! A meringue frosting may not be virtuous but at least it is fat free. The recipe for this frosting is nice, but not overwhelmingly so that I would make it again, but try it and see what you think, you may love it and feel its worth the effort.
Well I had better go, it is Luca’s first day at secondary school today and I have managed to completely fill my day with tasks to try and stop worrying about him, of course it didn’t work, but at least I got a lot done, including this blog post.
Buon appetito
For the sponge
60g cocoa powder (I used Green & Blacks)
250ml boiling water
30g dark chocolate, finely grated (70% cocoa solids)
225g unsalted butter, softened
325g light-brown muscovado sugar
2 medium free-range eggs, plus 2 yolks at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons creme fraiche
225g self-raising flour
good pinch of salt
Heat your oven to 180C, 350F, gas mark 4.
Grease and line the bottom of 3, 20.5cm sandwich tins.
Sift the cocoa into a heatproof bowl. Pour in the boiling water, whisking constantly. When the mixture is smooth and lump free, whisk in the chocolate until melted and silky smooth. Set aside until needed. I throw the grated chocolate in with the cocoa powder and add the hot water, it works just as well.
Put the butter into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer, until creamy. Press any lumps out of the sugar, then add to the butter and beat on a low speed. Once all the sugar has been worked in, increase the speed and beat until the mixture looks fluffy and paler in colour. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
Place the whole eggs, yolks and vanilla in another bowl and beat with a fork. Gradually add to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl as before. Fold in the cooled cocoa and chocolate mixture, then add the creme fraiche to the bowl and sift the flour and salt on top. Fold gently using a large metal spoon until thoroughly combined.
Divide the mixture equally among the 3 prepared tins, spread evenly and place in the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the centre of each sponge springs back when gently pressed in the centre with a fingertip, or a skewer comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, run a palette knife around each sponge to loosen it from the tin, allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
For the filling and frosting
200g dark chocolate, finely chopped (about 70% cocoa solids)
125ml double cream
2 medium free-range egg whites at room temperature
200g caster sugar
450g unsalted butter, softened and diced
4 Flakes
Put the finely chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small pan until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Leave to cool until room temperature. Stir occasionally.
While the chocolate and cream are cooling, put the egg whites and sugar into a large heatproof bowl and whisk until slightly frothy. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, do not let the base of the bowl touch the water, and whisk for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture turns into a thick, white, glossy meringue. Remove the bowl from the pan and set it on a cloth to prevent any wobbling, then carry on whisking until the meringue is cold, don’t skip this part, or your filling will split when you add the butter, so time consuming but worth the effort!
Gradually whisk the butter into the meringue mixture, I popped my bowl back on to the stand mixer, put it on a fairly high speed and added the butter slowly cube by cube until well combined. Then once all your butter is in, whisk in the chocolate mixture to make a mousse-like butter cream. It needs to be firm enough to spread easily and to hold its shape so it does not slide off of the cake, so you may have to cover and chill it until you think it is ready, not too long, or it will be to firm to spread.
Spoon half of the frosting into another bowl and set to one side to use as the frosting.
When you are ready to assemble your cake, place the bottom layer (crust side down) onto your chosen serving plate or cake stand, spread half of the butter cream over the sponge, break up one of the Flakes into shards and scatter over the filling. Then set the second sponge on top, cover with the rest of the filling and add the shards of another Flake and then place the last sponge on top, crust-side up.
Using half of the reserved buttercream frosting, cover the side of the cake, spreading carefully using a palette knife. Pile the rest of the frosting on top of the cake and spread out evenly. Decorate with the rest of the Flakes, broken into large chunks.
Leave the cake to cool and set.
If the weather is hot, store in the fridge. Lasts up to 4 days !
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