Edward’s Sinful Dark & White Chocolate Cake

Lightly grease and base line an 8inch/20cm deep cake tin.

Preheat oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This should take 5-6 minutes. Add in the eggs and mix completely.

Sieve the self raising flour and cocoa powder into mixing bowl and mix until completely smooth.

Pour into prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

When baked transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.

White Chocolate Butter Cream:

Cream the icing sugar and butter together in a large mixing bowl until creamy and fluffy.

Add in the white chocolate and continue to mix well before adding in the boiling water which will give you a nice spreading consistency.

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

To make icing:

Put the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. Pour the boiled cream onto the chopped chocolate and mix well. Allow to cool to a spreadable consistency.

Chocolate Cut Outs:

Melt the dark chocolate and spread onto a large piece of parchment paper. Drizzle lightly with the melted white chocolate or chopped nuts and leave to set. When the chocolate is almost fully set, but not quite, sit the base of the cake tin (so as to get it exactly the same size as the cake)

Cut around the base of the tin with a sharp knife and then cut into twelve equal slices. Transfer to the fridge to set further at this stage.

Top Tip when making the chocolate cut outs:

*I find the best chocolate to use for this design effect is the dark cooking chocolate (ssshhh don’t tell anyone!!) but it does not need to be tempered first and sets quickly and crisply.

Assembly:

Split the sponge into three equal pieces. Use approximately half of the white chocolate butter cream to sandwich together each of the layers. Sit the cake on a cake stand and carefully spread the cooled ganache on the top and sides of the cake. Allow the cake to set and then pipe 12 rosettes of the remaining butter cream on top and neatly arrange some dark chocolate cut outs on top of the cake.