Sarah's Easter Magic chocolate cake

It’s almost Easter and once again we’ve gone a bit Baking Mad! We decided to run a little competition in the club this month – to bake and blog about an Easter themed recipe. The favourite recipe(s), as voted by our club members and a few special guest judges would win a bundle of baking goodies. We’ve also submitted all of these recipes to BakingMad.com, to join their excellent selection of Easter recipes, such as Hot Cross Buns, Easter Cakes, Cake Pops and more! 


Sarah’s Easter Magic Chocolate Cake

Here is my submission for the Easter themed competition bake.
Why not delight your family, adults and children alike with
this creative and seriously chocolaty Easter Magic cake!

It comprises of a deep chocolate sponge filled with a rich
white chocolate cream centre, smothered in a dark and milk chocolate ganache,
decorated with cute handmade chocolate figures.

Ingredients for the
cake

175g self-raising flour
50g cocoa
225g golden caster sugar
225g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 tbsp milk

Ingredients for
the filling

125g white chocolate
125ml double cream

Ingredients for
the topping

200g dark chocolate
100g milk chocolate
225ml double cream

To decorate – can be brought in or hand-made in
chocolate moulds

Chocolate bunnies, chicks, eggs, mini sugar shell
eggs, basic icing

Method for the cake:

· Preheat your oven to 180 degree c/gas 4
· Grease and line an 18cm (7”) deep cake tin or 2
sponge tins
· Sieve the flour and cocoa together into a bowl
· Beat the butter and the sugar together until
light and fluffy
· Add one egg at a time to the creamed butter and
sugar with a little flour/cocoa mix and beat in between each addition
· Fold in the remainder of the flour and cocoa – being
careful not to “knock” out the air which has been beaten into the mixture
· Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin or 2
tins (make sure both tins weight the same if you are using two)
· Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins, keeping an eye
and not opening the oven whilst baking.
· Leave the cake/s to cool before turning out on a
rack to completely cool.

Method
for the filling:

· Whilst the cake/s cools, melt the white
chocolate and cream together in a bowl over a pan of hot water stirring occasionally
to combine.
· Be careful not to let the chocolate overheat as
it can turn grainy. Once melted, stir gently and leave the cool and thicken
slightly before spreading it onto one of the cakes or one half of the cake.

Method
for the topping:

· Melt the dark and milk chocolate and cream
together in a bowl over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally to combine.
· Be careful not to let the chocolate overheat as
it can turn grainy. Once melted, stir gently and leave the cool and thicken
slightly before spreading it onto the cake, covering it completely.
· Use a hot pallet knife to smooth off the
surface.

Decorate the top and sides of the cake with chocolate figures which you can make
yourself by melting chocolate and using moulds. You can also add mini “mini
eggs” or a variety of other decorations to finish it off.

PS - this recipe will also be submitted to http://www.bakingmad.com/ideas/easter-baking  - so keep an eye out for it there!