No 'goings' have been getting tough for me lately though...I just want to eat the chocolate cake.
There is nothing healthy about this cake, apart from the strawberries in the strawberry jam and the honey in the honeycomb...
OK, I'm scraping the barrel there.
I'll return to my original statement that, there is nothing healthy about this cake.
Calorie counters avert your eyes!
OR have a day off, grab yourself a good book, a cup of tea and a generous slice of chocolatey dreaminess and treat yourself!
Have a Bruce Bogtrotter moment :)
x2 6 inch round tins. I use these
250g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
half tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
250g caster sugar
180ml vegetable oil
3 eggs
half tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
3 tbsp buttermilk
8 tbsp hot water (not boiling)
For the frosting//
200g unsalted butter (room temp)
300g icing sugar
60g cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
12 tbsp whipping cream
Your own choice of jam :) I used strawb
Honeycomb pieces or Crunchie!
What to do//
Preheat your oven to 160 degrees C (fan) and line x2 6 inch round tins with greaseproof paper.
Into a large mixing bowl, sift your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarb. Add the pinch of salt and mix together.
Into a separate bowl mix together your caster sugar, oil, whisked eggs, vanilla and buttermilk.
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and add the hot water. Mix until all the flour has just disappeared. Try not to over-mix as this could make your cake dry.
Pour equally into the lined tins and bake for 35-40 mins, checking that a knife comes out of the centre clean.
Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting//
With an electric hand mixer or cake mixer, mix your butter for a couple of minutes until it turns pale and fluffy.
Mix in your icing sugar 100g at a time.
Mix in your cocoa powder on a low setting so it doesn't poof* everywhere!
Mix in the vanilla and whipping cream a few tablespoons as a time.
*poof = technical term ;)
Level the tops of the sponges with a leveller (I use this one) or a serrated knife.
On a turntable, add a small dollop of frosting in the centre and place the first sponge on top.
Pipe a circle of frosting around the outer circumference of the top of the sponge. Spoon a big dollop of jam into the middle of the circle and smear outwards towards the frosting.
Place the second sponge, levelled side down onto the jam/frosting.
Using about half of your frosting, crumb coat your cake and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Using a cake spatula, (I use this one) add some more frosting to the side of your cake using gentle upward strokes.
Using a star shaped nozzle, pipe swirls around the top of your cake and place the honeycomb pieces onto the swirls :)
You're done! Phewf!
It would probably be easier if I filmed a video to demonstrate this frosting technique. I did actually have a play with making one...but am too scared to post it!
I am by NO means a professional cake decorator and prefer a more rustic, messy approach to my bakes, but by gosh and golly they taste good! That's the main thing right?
Betty x
PS Did you see my Blueberry and Lemon Cake post? It was a corker.
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