February is my birthday month, so for this month’s recipe, it’s my birthday cake! My husband always bakes my birthday cake, and this year it was the best yet. A gorgeously dark chocolate cake and the most indulgent ganache, we made it again as soon as it was gone! It is super delicious, but of course, it’s super easy too! Oh, but you will need cooling time for the ganache! At least a couple of hours.
Chocolate layer cake
Ingredients
125g butter or baking spread
140g caster sugar
60g light brown muscovado sugar
140g plain flour
80g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
160ml buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
Ganache
200ml double cream
200g dark chocolate
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4 and line two circular tins. I just line the bottoms, the cakes are easy to slide out by running a knife round the edge.
- Pop your butter/baking spread and both sugars into a bowl and beat with a hand or stand mixer until the mix looks light. You’ll probably need to mix for about 3 minutes on a medium-high speed.
- While that’s mixing, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in another bowl.
- Measure out the buttermilk and stir the vanilla into it.
- Add your eggs to the butter and sugar mix and reduce the speed of the mixer. Mix for a couple of minutes until creamy.
- Add half the flour and mix slowly.
- Add the buttermilk mixture and mix again.
- Pop in the remaining flour mixture and beat again until just combined.
- Split the mixture into the two tins, equally.
- Pop them in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave in the tins for 5 minutes before sliding a knife round the edge and removing to a cooling rack.
- For your ganache, gently heat the cream and chocolate, stirring until it melts and combines.
- Set to one side, or in the fridge, until it sets to a spreadable consistency. If you choose the fridge option and it sets too hard, just take it out and bring to room temperature and it’ll be fine.
- Once your cakes are cool and your ganache is spreadable, spread a layer of ganache onto one of the cakes, then top with the other.
- Use the rest of the ganache to cover the top and sides of the cake, using your best plastering skills! It’ll be shiny and beautiful!
- Then top with sprinkles, candles or sparklers!
?❤️?
Adapted from The Sprinkles Baking Book
