Recipe: Rich Chocolate Fudge Cake

"This rich chocolate cake is smothered with salted caramel icing and white chocolate ganache," writes Mercy Fenton in her weekly column. "It would be perfect for a birthday celebration, or if you don’t have an occasion, make it anyway! I’ve made a low cake, more than enough for 10 decent slices, but if you want to double the recipe and cook four and stack them high, it will look really impressive."

Ingredients

100gr butter

150gr caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

100gr whole egg

50gr cocoa powder

120gr hot water

180ml milk

1 ½ tsp white vinegar

90gr cream flour

1tsp baking powder

1 tsp bread soda

Method:

• Butter the base and sides of 2 x 8 inch tins and line with a disk of parchment paper.
• Pre heat the oven to 180C.
• Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg in two additions, beating well between each addition.
• Mix the cocoa powder and hot water together until smooth.
• Add the cocoa powder to the butter mix.
• Mix the milk and vinegar together and set aside.
• Add half the flour to the butter mixture, fold in and then add half the milk mixture.
• Repeat, adding the rest of the flour, then the rest of the milk.
• Share between the two tins spread evenly, then bake in the oven for 25 to 28 minutes.
• Once cooked through, remove from the oven, allow to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before removing from the tin and leaving to cool on a wire rack.
• Peel off parchment paper. Allowing the cake to cool.

Prepare the salted caramel

Ingredients

100gr caster sugar

100gr brown sugar

90gr butter

90gr double cream

120gr cream

½ tsp. sea salt flakes.

Method:

• Place the sugars in a medium sized pot and cook over a gentle heat until the sugars dissolve and caramelize, swirl the pan at any time to move the caramel around the pan.
• Once the sugar is just gone past golden, add the butter in small pieces.
• Cook until smooth, then take off the heat then whisk in the cream, return to the heat and cook for another minute until smooth, add the sea salt then scrape into a clean shallow pan to cool.
• Salted caramel butter cream

Ingredients

200gr unsalted butter

250gr icing sugar

120gr cooled caramel

Method:

• Beat the butter on high speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar slowly then beat it well until light and fluffy.
• Finally, add the cooled caramel.
• Fill into a piping bag with a plain nozzle.
• To assemble
• Turn the cakes base up.
• Pipe some largish domes all around the sides of two cakes, and then pipe a thin coil around the inner circle. Smooth carefully.
• Drizzle caramel over both tops, allowing a little to drizzle downs the sides.
• Chill both cakes while you prepare the white chocolate gnash.

White chocolate gnash

Ingredients

130gr white chocolate drops

50gr cream

Method:

• Bring the cream to the boil in a small pot.
• Pour onto the chocolate, allow to sit for a minute or two then stir well until smooth.
• Allow the chocolate to cool and thicken slightly.
• Stack the cakes, then cover the top one with a layer of ganache, you can allow the ganache to spill over and go down the sides.
• Chill cake then finally drizzle with caramel again.
• Enjoy best at room temperature