Chocolate cake with chocolate twirls
Rich, decadent and ideal for celebrations, this chocolate cake is the perfect one to add to your baking arsenal
SERVES
8
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
30
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
30
MINUTES
Ingredients
170g butter
170g caster sugar
3 eggs, separated
½ tsp baking powder
85g drinking chocolate powder (not cocoa)
70ml milk
200g flour
For the buttercream filling:
85g icing sugar
45g butter
¼ tsp pure vanilla essence
For the chocolate glacé icing:
55g chocolate powder
2 tbsp cold water
15g butter
¼ tsp vanilla essence
225g icing sugar
Hot water
To decorate:
8 fresh walnut halves or chocolate coffee beans
Equipment:
2 x 20cm sandwich tins
Method
Brush the tins with melted butter, dust with flour and line the base of each with a disc of greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5.
Cream the butter and the sugar, beat until light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks one by one and beat well between each addition. Blend the chocolate powder with the milk, add to the mixture and stir well. Sieve the flour and baking powder together and stir gently. Fold in the stiffly-beaten egg whites and divide the mixture between the two prepared sandwich tins.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes approx. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire tray.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Cream the butter, add the sugar and beat well until soft and creamy. Add the pure vanilla essence and mix well.
Next, make the glacé or dark chocolate icing. Put the chocolate powder into a saucepan with cold water. Add the butter and vanilla essence and stir over a gentle heat until the chocolate is dissolved.
Put the icing sugar into a bowl, add the dissolved chocolate and sufficient hot water to mix to a consistency that the icing will coat the back of a wooden spoon. Beat until smooth and glossy.
