Happy Easter - Cookbook Challenge # 8 - Layered Easter Chocolate Cake
Happy Easter Everyone!
I thought this was the perfect Cookbook Challenge to try out this chocolate layer cake recipe. The theme for this challenge was eggs and as you can see it is covered in gorgeous chocolate Easter eggs. In addition, it has 8 eggs in it as I had to double the recipe to get the 4-layer height which is depicted in the photograph in the magazine. Despite the extra work, I ended up only using 3 of the layers as it started to get too high and I had visions of the leaning tour of cake crashing down.
The recipe for this challenge comes from the April edition of Australian GoodFood Magazine and as you can see the cake features on the cover.
The great thing I found with this recipe is that you literally throw all the ingredients into a food processor, blend then bake. SUPER Easy!
Recipe notes:
The Good: Super easy to make, the buttercream was delish and using the 70% dark chocolate for the ganache balanced the sweetness of the cake and the buttercream.
The Bad: Unfortunately the cake was a touch on the dry side. Not sure if it was my oven, the recipe or a combination of both *sigh*.
However, in the spirit of Easter, fun and cake I would urge you all to watch this comedy skit about cake by British Comedian Paul Foot : it is hilarious! Let me know what you think of it below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBk9DD84fdY
Layered Easter Chocolate Cake
from Australian GoodFood magazine ( April 2011)
Serves 12
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (225g) SR Flour
1 1/4 cups (275g) firmly packed brown sugar
250g unsalted butter, softened
75g dark chocolate, melted ( I used Nestle Plaistowe 70%)
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa
1 1/2 baking powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
16 mini Easter eggs, to decorate
ganache icing
1/3 cup (80ml) cream
160g dark chocolate, chopped
buttercream filling
375g unsalted butter, softened
500g pure icing sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) milk
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180'C or 160'C fan forced and line two 20cm cake pans
2. Place flour, sugar, butter, chocolate, cocoa, baking powder, vanilla, eggs and 2 tbsp water in a food processor and process until smooth.
3. Spoon into pans, level surfaces and bake for 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes, then turn our onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, to make icing heat cream in a small pan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir through chocolate and then whisk until smooth. Let stand for 20 minutes until it thicken slightly.
5. To make buttercream filling using an elecric mixer to beat butter until as white as possible. Alternately beat in sugar and milk, starting and finishing with a little sugar.
6. Using a bread knife, split each cake into two laters. Sandwich together all four layers with buttercream. Top with ganache and decorate with Easter eggs.
Serve.
Make sure you watch the Youtube link above and let me know if you found it funny.
I thought this was the perfect Cookbook Challenge to try out this chocolate layer cake recipe. The theme for this challenge was eggs and as you can see it is covered in gorgeous chocolate Easter eggs. In addition, it has 8 eggs in it as I had to double the recipe to get the 4-layer height which is depicted in the photograph in the magazine. Despite the extra work, I ended up only using 3 of the layers as it started to get too high and I had visions of the leaning tour of cake crashing down.
The recipe for this challenge comes from the April edition of Australian GoodFood Magazine and as you can see the cake features on the cover.
The great thing I found with this recipe is that you literally throw all the ingredients into a food processor, blend then bake. SUPER Easy!
Recipe notes:
The Good: Super easy to make, the buttercream was delish and using the 70% dark chocolate for the ganache balanced the sweetness of the cake and the buttercream.
The Bad: Unfortunately the cake was a touch on the dry side. Not sure if it was my oven, the recipe or a combination of both *sigh*.
However, in the spirit of Easter, fun and cake I would urge you all to watch this comedy skit about cake by British Comedian Paul Foot : it is hilarious! Let me know what you think of it below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBk9DD84fdY
Layered Easter Chocolate Cake
from Australian GoodFood magazine ( April 2011)
Serves 12
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (225g) SR Flour
1 1/4 cups (275g) firmly packed brown sugar
250g unsalted butter, softened
75g dark chocolate, melted ( I used Nestle Plaistowe 70%)
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa
1 1/2 baking powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
16 mini Easter eggs, to decorate
ganache icing
1/3 cup (80ml) cream
160g dark chocolate, chopped
buttercream filling
375g unsalted butter, softened
500g pure icing sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) milk
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180'C or 160'C fan forced and line two 20cm cake pans
2. Place flour, sugar, butter, chocolate, cocoa, baking powder, vanilla, eggs and 2 tbsp water in a food processor and process until smooth.
3. Spoon into pans, level surfaces and bake for 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes, then turn our onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, to make icing heat cream in a small pan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir through chocolate and then whisk until smooth. Let stand for 20 minutes until it thicken slightly.
5. To make buttercream filling using an elecric mixer to beat butter until as white as possible. Alternately beat in sugar and milk, starting and finishing with a little sugar.
6. Using a bread knife, split each cake into two laters. Sandwich together all four layers with buttercream. Top with ganache and decorate with Easter eggs.
Serve.
Make sure you watch the Youtube link above and let me know if you found it funny.
What a lovely cake to celebrate Easter with! I adore layered cakes but have a tendency to make them crooked lol :P
ReplyDeleteI think the eggs on top of the cake just makes this cake look so cute! Great job on making such a pretty layered cake. I think it looks as good as the one on the magazine cover:)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous even layers. Love the eggs on top, chocolate on chocolate on chocolate, what a perfect cake for Easter.
ReplyDeleteLooks exactly like the front cover - great job! 8 eggs - you certainly covered this fortnights theme well...hehe
ReplyDeleteWhere was my invite??!! :)
ReplyDeleteLooks exactly the same!!! awesome :D
ReplyDeletehow impressive - last layer cake I made had a landslide - still tasted great - but made me all the more admiring of layer cakes like yours
ReplyDeleteYUM! Looks fantastic, it's making me very hungry for something similar! Must get something sorted for the kids, although I'm sure they'll still want their usual Easter chocolate by the bucket load!
ReplyDelete