I have to confess to leaving it far to long since my last post, my laptop charger died on me and I did try to use Hubby’s laptop, but only to discover that I am an Apple Girl through and through and can not cope with anything else ! Also trying to part Hubby from his laptop and work is near on an impossible task! I also have been so busy with the new house and my main business ‘Diana’s House’, but excuses aside, I have now finally ordered a new charger and thought that I would celebrate being back with this delicious Chocolate Gâteau with Raspberry, Rose and Vanilla Cream. Also I am currently on bed rest after six epidural injections in my spine for my Spondyllolisthesis, so I am rather limited to what I can do, LOL !!! I moan about Hubby, but I am also a workaholic and hate just laying around doing nothing, so this appeases me a little.

This Chocolate Gâteau with Raspberry, Rose and Vanilla Cream is a stunner, the chocolate sponge is rich, dark and moist, just how you want a chocolate cake to be and the filling though not what I thought would be to my taste really knocked my socks off.

The filling is light and fresh which really lifts this cake, I think you could even serve this as a dessert, its just so yummy and decadent and as long as you are careful when adding the rose water it just comes though as a delicate summery taste rather than making it taste like soap !!

If you really are not a fan of rose water, just leave it out. Also there is no reason why you could not play around with the fruit and jam, using what ever you prefer or what is in season, making this a good all year round recipe. I think made with cherries and a rich cherry jam this could almost past as a Black Forrest Gâteau, just drizzle a little melted dark chocolate on the top, add a few shavings of chocolate and there you have it, another show stopper.

I didn’t bother decorating this cake as the recipe advises as I knew it would not be around long enough for anyone to care, but if you want this to be a real show stopper for an afternoon tea, birthday or dessert, it is well worth adding the pretty pink icing and crystalised rose petals for that added WOW factor, place on a pretty cake stand and you have a cake that can really hold its own. I have added a photo at the bottom of this post to show you how it could look.

Well its good to be back, I hope you are all enjoying your Summer and have had many opportunities to get outside and just eats lots and lots of cake.

Buon appetito

Chocolate Gâteau with Raspberry, Rose and Vanilla Cream

Plain Flour 125g
Self-raising Flour 125g
Cocoa Powder 50g (I recommend Green & Blacks)
Baking Powder 1/2 tsp
Golden Caster Sugar 350g
Light Muscovado Sugar 150g
Milk Chocolate 36% 100g
Dark Chocolate 72% 150g
Butter 250g
Milk 125ml
Eggs 4

For the rose filling and topping
Double Cream 200ml
Icing Sugar 100g
Rose Water a few drops
Pink Food Colouring a few drops
Raspberry Jam 4 tbsp
Fresh Raspberries
Icing Sugar
Crystallised Rose Petals ( available from Waitrose, or buy online)
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.

Butter and line 3 x 18cm sandwich tins (this is a runny batter, so if they have loose bases, make sure they fit tightly).

Sift the flours, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl and stir in the sugars.

Melt the chocolates together with 180ml of water and the butter.

Beat the milk with the eggs. Add the chocolate mixture and egg mixture to the flour and whisk well until there are no lumps. Divide between the tins and bake for 40-50 minutes or until risen and firm to the touch. Cool on wire racks in the tin for 30 minutes and then turn out to finish cooling.

Beat the cream to soft peaks and then beat in 2 tbsp icing sugar, rose water and some pink colour.

Mix the remaining icing sugar with a little colouring, a drop of rose water and a splash of water if needed. It should be runny and quite pink (I didn’t bother with the pink icing but it does make the top of the cake look really pretty).

Put a layer of cake on a stand, spread with 2 tbsp of jam and then spoon on half of the rose cream. Sprinkle on half of the raspberries. Add another layer of cake and the remaining jam and rose cream. Put on the top layer and dust it with icing sugar. Run the pink icing around the outside edge of the cake in rings (don’t worry if it forms beads) and use it to stick on the crystallised rose petals.

Recipe and the above photo were taken from Olive Magazine , all other photo’s are my own.