Wednesday, 17 October 2012

A Pretty Chocolate Birthday Cake

I made this for my cousins Birthday.
It is made from a chocolate sponge, cut into three, sandwiched together with pink fluffy meringue buttercream icing & topped off with a chocolate buttercream & lots of sprinkles!

Chocolate sponge
75g dark chocolate
100g unsalted butter
100g dark brown sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
175g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder
2 eggs
150ml milk

Pink meringue buttercream
4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
325g unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
a blob of pink food colouring (optional)

Chocolate buttercream
240 grams unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
300 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
 320 grams confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chocolate sponge
Preheat the oven to 170oC.
Combine the chocolate with the sugar, butter & syrup in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Stir until everything is melted & mixed.  Allow to cool.
Sift the flour & cocoa powder into a large bowl, add the chocolate mixture  & carefully beat together.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition, then add the milk & mix well once more.
Spoon the mixture into a 20cm tin & bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until springy to touch.

Chocolate buttercream
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes).


pink meringue buttercream
Place the egg whites & sugar in a saucepan & stir over a moderate heat until the mixture is hot & the sugar is dissolved.  Pour the mixture into a bowl & beat with an electric whisk for about 5 minutes, until very thick, it will hold it's shape once cooled.
Beat the butter into the meringue, about 50g at a time.  Once all of the butter is mixed, stop whisking.  If the mixture appears lumpy or curdled, warm the mixture slightly in the microwave & beat again until creamy.  Add the vanilla & food colouring.

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