I made this cake for some colleagues who had helped me out with something at work. The pictures (as usual) aren't great. I really need to get better at this, but I forgot to photograph it until i had given it to my colleagues and they had already tucked in. I remembered half way through the afternoon and had to run back and take pictures of the half eaten cake. I think they thought I was very strange. I suppose if your not a food blogger or a food blog follower you would think it was a bit odd, either way they were too polite to say anything. After all i had brought them cake!
The feedback was really good so I'm really happy with this cake. Although you cant tell from the pictures, I was really pleased with the decoration and the texture of the cake was really light and fluffy. Its a spongy chocolate cake rather than a rich one but you could easily use a chocolate ganach instead of a buttercream to turn it into a richer chocolate fudge cake.
Here's how to make it!
Ingredients:
For the cake:
175g Self raising flour
175g salted butter
175g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g 85% dark chocolate
For the raspberry jam:
150g fresh raspberrys
100g caster or granulated sugar
20ml water
juice of half a lemon
For the buttercream
250g salted butter
500g icing sugar
50ml double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or the seeds of a vanilla pod
Method:
To make the cake:
Line two 18cm sandwich cake tins, preheat the oven to 160 degrees C (fan oven) and melt the chocolate over a saucepan of boiling water and set aside to cool but not harden.
Cream the butter and caster sugar in a stand mixer or by hand. If you do it by hand be prepared to use a lot of elbow grease as they need to be really well combined. The best tip for making a light sponge cake that I have learned is to make sure you use really soft butter. It should be room temperature in summer, but in winter room temp may not be warm enough. You may need to leave it near (but not so near that it melts) a radiator for an hour or so.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in well until they are fully emulsified into the butter and sugar mixture. I really recommend using a stand mixer for this as its so much easier and it works better too. If the mixture looks like its splitting when you have added the last egg, add a tablespoon of the flour and beat until it comes together.
Next sift in the flour and baking powder and gently fold into the mixture. Then fold in the cooled melted chocolate being careful not to beat out all of the air.
Divide between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 mins and then remove and cool on a wire rack.
For the Raspberry Jam:
Put all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed saucepan and simmer for around 10 mins until the fruit has completely broken down and the mixture has reduced into a thick jam like consistency. Set aside to cool.
For the buttercream:
Whip the (soft) butter with the vanilla for a minute and then add the icing sugar and whip until it's all incorporated. Then add the cream and continue to whip until it's light and fluffy. If it's still too stiff you may need to add more cream.
To assemble:
Really simple. Spread 1 layer of the cold cake with the jam, the other with some of the buttercream and sandwich together. cover the outside with the buttercream. the easiest way to do this is in two coats. The first coat should be thin and it doesn't matter if crumbs are visible, the idea is to seal the cake. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins and then apply the second layer of frosting. This can be thicker. The crumbs should all be stuck to the cake so it will be easy to apply a smooth layer with no visible crumbs.
I had a little buttercream left over so I mixed in a little red food coloring and piped on some pink flowers but to be honest, it would be even nicer decorated with some dark chocolate or even some fresh raspberries.
Top tip, don't try the buttercream while you are making this. Trust me that it will be nice and don't be tempted to taste. If you do you may end up eating a LOT of it before you've finished the cake and feeling very sick! I speak from experience. Don't say you weren't warned!!
Over and out :)
Labels: cakes
