Birthday Chocolate Traybake
Traditionally, in Ireland, birthday cakes would have contained dried fruit embedded within a dense sponge or sweet bread base. Now we serve up cakes of all flavours with chocolate being a firm favourite.
SERVES
20
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
35
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
40
MINUTES
Ingredients
For the cake
8 eggs, separated
380g golden caster sugar
400g soft butter
400g self-raising flour
4 tbs cocoa powder, sieved
2 tsp baking powder, sieved
4 tbs milk
To decorate
150g dark chocolate, melted
300g soft butter
600g icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Method
Line a 10x10-inch square cake tin with parchment.
Preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.
Add half of the sugar to the egg whites and whisk until stiff peaks form, set this aside.
Add the other half of the sugar to the butter and whisk until light and fluffy.
Sieve the flour with the cocoa and baking powder.
Mix the egg yolks with the milk
Add the egg mixture to the whisked butter until combined.
Add in the flour until combined.
Fold in the egg whites.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin and flatten the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing whisk the ingredients until smooth and until the mixture has lightened in colour.
Ice the traybake in whatever way you choose. You can coat the top and sides before slicing into squares or create a shaped cake to be used at the centre of a birthday celebration.
