Chocolate Celebration Cake

 

In just my last post I said there would be less chocolate around here, and yet this is the most chocolatey thing I've made for a while! When my brother requested a chocolate layer cake for his 18th birthday, I knew what to make straight away. The layers are moist and dense and the icing is the perfect complement. I've never made a layer cake before but certainly will be making more.

 

 

Chocolate cake (adapted from here, via here)

 

1 3/4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 cup hot water, plus 2 tsp dissolved in 2 tsp hot water

170g milk chocolate

225g butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups icing sugar

Sprinkles

 

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease two 20cm round cake pans.
2. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a mixer. Mix on low speed until combined.
3. Combine buttermilk, vegetable oil, 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add wet ingredients to dry. Add coffee (1 tsp in 1 cup water) and mix to combine.
4. Pour evenly into pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks.
5. Double wrap cakes in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
6. To make the chocolate icing, melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
7. Beat the butter on high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp vanilla and beat for a further 3 minutes. While mixing on low, add icing sugar until combined. Add melted chocolate and coffee (2 tsp in 2 tsp water) and mix until combined.
8. Level off cakes with a serrated knife. Place one cake bottom up and spread with a thick layer of icing. Top with second cake, bottom down. Add a thin layer of icing to the top and sides of both cakes to create a crumb coat. Add a second, thicker layer using a palette knife.
9. Cut a circle of baking paper slightly smaller than the size of the cake and place on top. Sprinkle sprinkles around the edges of the paper. Remove paper.