Tuesday 18 January 2011

Birthday Chocolate Cake



A Triple Layered Brazil Nut Sponge with Chocolate Fudge Icing, White Chocolate Sprinkles, Chocolate Shell & Mixed Berries.


I had been so excited about making this cake for my brother in-law's 30 birthday last weekend. The base is a simple sponge with 3oz of crushed Brazil nuts added at the end. A butter fudge icing glued it all altogether before it was finally wrapped in a thin layer of good quality dark chocolate.

The standard sponge uses equal weights of flour, egg, butter and sugar with some baking powder and vanilla, creamed together using a hand blender or mixer. I am lucky enough to be looking after the amazing kitchen of two lovely friends at the moment and have use of all their beautiful equipment!

Thank you Kylie!











Make the chocolate shell using about 200g of good quality dark chocolate. Melt 2/3 of the chocolate over a double boiler. When quite hot remove from the heat and add the last 1/3 of chocolate. When the last third has completely melted return to the boiler for a few minutes allowing the chocolate to reheat slightly... There are exact temperatures used for this tempering process (Heat the chocolate to 115°c. when the last 3rd of chocolate is added the temperature will reduce to around 84°c, reheat again to 88/89°c) though I just used a knuckle (clean of course) to guess the approximate temperatures.

Spread the melted chocolate evenly over 2 sheets of baking parchment cut to size. Set slightly in the fridge on a tray for about 5 mins. When the chocolate has lost its sheen but is still pliable wrap it around the cake (wax paper to the outside!). A good tip is to hold the cake up to the light and check for any thin spots; spread a little extra chocolate over theses areas on the inside of the shell (this will eliminate the risk of holes when you come to remove the wax paper). Return to the fridge until completely set. Remove the wax paper from the outside before finishing and serving the cake.


Fill with fruits & berries, malteasers, smarties, chocolates, chocolate curls or sweets...etc and eat.


2 comments:

  1. I guiltily had three slices and it is amazing!!!
    James

    ReplyDelete