I seem to have gone a bit chocolate mad lately, and this week's bake-off is no exception. I'm putting it down to the seemingly endless winter but, ladies on a diet, I'm so sorry!
Anyway, I've had quite a few birthdays in the past few weeks, so I needed a showstopper of a cake which looked (and tasted) amazing, but was pretty easy to put together. Step forward Lorraine's Pascale's beautiful Let Them Eat Cake Cake, aka my Malteser Cake.
Doesn't it look pretty? And gooey, and chocolatey, and oh-so scrumptious. It's pretty irresistible for chocoholics, right?
This cake is ridiculously foolproof to make, but also manages to taste gorgeously moist and chocolatey, without being too rich. The buttercream icing is light and airy, whereas the Maltesers...well, who doesn't love the crunch of a Malteser?
Decorated with four large packets of Maltesers, this isn't necessarily the cheapest of cakes to make. But it looks so effective, and is definitely one to impress! I've had an experiment with white chocolate Maltesers too, which look fab when topped with the little Malteaster bunnies! Perhaps a good chocolate cake for Easter...
Enjoy!
Sam x
Lorraine Pascale's Let Them Eat Cake Cake
Ingredients:
For the sponge:
150g really soft butter
250g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour
125ml sour cream
4 medium eggs
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
Few drops vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Buttercream:
100g dark chocolate
550g icing sugar
250g really soft butter
2 tbsp milk
To decorate:
4 large packs brown or white Maltesers
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180C, then grease and line 2 8 in loose-bottomed sandwich cake tins.
2) Place each of the cake ingredients into a large bowl and use an electric mixer to blend well until you have a soft, smooth mixture.
3) Divide between the cake tins, smooth the tops and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
4) Leave the cakes to cool for a few minutes before removing from the tins, then leave to cool completely.
5) Once the cakes are almost cool, it's time to start making the buttercream. Break the chocolate into a bowl and melt it in the microwave in 30-second blasts, stirring in between.
6) Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then add the butter and milk and beat with an electric mixer until it is really light and fluffy. Pour in the melted chocolate, stirring all the time.
7) Sit one of the cakes on a cake stand (place a little dollop of buttercream underneath the sponge so that the cake doesn’t move around), then put about a third of the buttercream on and spread it around. Sit the other sponge on top and spread the remaining buttercream all over so it is completely covered.
8) Once you have covered the cake, take the Maltesers and stick them all over the cake. Line them up nice and tight with no gaps, then serve and enjoy!
