Chocolate Cake

Valentine’s Day Cake

Left it last minute? Don’t worry about it, I have you covered. Today I’m sharing my recipe for the perfect Valentine’s Day cake.

This cake is the perfect treat as it’s quick and easy, you could easily make this on the day and still have it ready in time. Starting with a chocolate velvet cake, a milk chocolate ganache and strawberry filling – what’s not to like?

The combination of chocolate and strawberry marry one another so perfectly well, regardless of the chocolate and luckily for you, I used milk, dark and unsweetened. The balance of sweetness and tartness all balances so well, so if you’re a chocolate fan, you’ll love this cake!

For quality chocolate, don’t forget to check out Cocoarunners. For this recipe, I used their milk chocolate, dark chocolate and unsweetened chocolate – what’s not to love?

Regardless of how you are spending Valentine’s day this year, why not treat yourself?

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Chocolate velvet cake:

120g butter.

300g granulated sugar.

2 eggs.

120ml buttermilk.

120g plain flour.

30g cocoa powder.

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda.

1 1/2 tsp white vinegar.

Ganache:

230g milk chocolate.

460ml double cream.

For the strawberry filling, use a good quality strawberry jam or other jam/preserve.

Decoration:

Grated dark chocolate.

Strawberries, halved.

unsweetened chocolate buttons.

Methods:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, lining your 8 inch heart cake tin with parchment and get any other bits you may need, such as a stand mixer and spatulas ready. Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 170˚c/325˚f.

To start, I recommend with the cake. Into a large mixing bowl, place the butter and sugar and beat them together until they are well combined.

Once combined, you can add your eggs, one at a time beating well in-between each addition.

Then go ahead and give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully incorporated earlier on.

Add around 1/3 of the dry mix into the bowl and beat that in until its fully incorporated, follow that by adding in around half the buttermilk and mix until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining ingredients – remember, you should start and finish with the dry mix.

Give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits of dry mix or buttermilk that may be around the edge of the bowl.

Onto the cake batter, sprinkle over the bicarbonate of soda and then top that with the the vinegar and allow to fizzle. Fold them into the cake batter until everything is fully incorporated.

You can then transfer the cake batter from the bowl straight into your lined cake tin. Then you can spread and level out the mixture to ensure consistent baking while in the oven.

Place the cake into the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes (or until a tester comes out clean, when inserted into the centre).

While your cake is in the oven, you can clean down and make the ganache.

For the ganache, simply grab a small saucepan and pour in the cream. Place it on the hob over a medium heat and stir until it a reaches a boil, ensuring the cream doesn’t catch on the bottom of the saucepan (if it does, just restart).

Into a small bowl, add the chocolate. Then carefully pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes, then stir continuously until you have a smooth and glossy mixture.

Leave the ganache to cool and start to firm up, this doesn’t take very long – you’re only looking for the mixture to become a spreadable consistency.

Once ganache has come to a spreadable consistency, you can go ahead and transfer it into a large mixing bowl and beat it over a medium-high speed until it’s lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.

Keep the ganache at room temperature, to ensure it stays spreadable and easy to work with.

Now the cake has baked and cooled fully, you can go ahead and level the cake (don’t throw away the excess cake, it’s great for cake pops or with custard). Then you can slice the cake in half, so you have two even layers.

Take your board/plate/stand you intend on using and place a blob of chocolate ganache into the centre and spread it out, then place the first layer of cake on top and press it down to secure it in place.

Then place a good amount of ganache and spread it out until you have a consistent layer of ganache, generously spoon on the strawberry filling and spread it out. Sandwich the second layer of cake on top and press down, just to secure it in place.

Using the remaining ganache, coat the sides and top of the cake, trying to get it as smooth as possible (it doesn’t have to be perfect).

While the ganache is still tacky, take the grated dark chocolate and scatter on top and spread it all around to ensure even coverage (this is optional but it helps to cut through the sweetness).

Then to decorate, its really up to you but I kept it simple with just some halved strawberries and unsweetened chocolate buttons. That’s all I did, kept it simple but impressive enough to show someone you care!

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Muffins

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

It’s bakemas 2020!

If it’s your first bakemas here, welcome. It is my annual mini-series in which I show you how to make a various Christmas themed baked goods – perfect if you want to impress your family and/or friends or if you’re hosting a festive get together.

It wouldn’t quite be Christmas if there wasn’t a Terry’s chocolate orange recipe, would it? Well, today I’m sharing the best ever muffin recipe! These Terry’s chocolate orange muffins are the must bake for this Christmas.

These muffins aren’t short of any flavour, you get a chocolate rush in each mouthful and a calming amount of orange – the balance works really well. There’s no need for orange extract, you get the orange flavour form the chocolate and the added zest (the best and only way to add flavour).

The added trick that makes these muffins so much better, is adding a chocolate orange ganache into the centre of the muffins, that way you get added chocolate and orange flavour – what’s not to love, honestly!

If these sound like your sort of treat, why not give them a try – just in time for Christmas!

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

ganache:

75g Terry’s milk chocolate orange.

40ml double cream.

muffins:

110ml double cream.

50ml milk (use your preference, I went with whole).

75ml butter, melted.

50g dark brown sugar.

2 eggs.

175g plain flour.

1 tbsp baking powder.

30g cocoa powder

zest of 1 orange.

100g Terry’s chocolate orange, chopped.

100g milk chocolate chips.

method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Weigh up all of your ingredients, grab a muffin tray and line it with tulip cases, preheat your oven to 200˚c/390˚f and grab any equipment you may need such as a mixing bowl, whisk and spatula.

To start on the recipe, make the ganache. Into a small bowl place in the chocolate orange, which has been chopped small – add in the cream and mix. Place into the microwave for 15-30 seconds at a time, stirring well in between each time in the microwave.

Once the mixture is melted, it should be smooth and glossy. Place this aside until needed a little later on – you may find placing it in the fridge better.

To start on the muffin batter, combine the chopped chocolate orange with the chocolate chips. Into another bowl whisk together the cream, milk, dark brown sugar, melted butter and egg until they are fully combined.

Over the liquid mix, sift in the plain flour, baking powder and cocoa powder – add in the chocolate and the zest of 1/3 of an orange.

Fold everything together until its fully combined, there shouldn’t be a trace of a single ingredients once you’re done mixing.

Transfer the muffin batter into the tulip cases, filling them half the way and reserving the remaining until later on. Once you have half filled all of your cases, you can take the ganache out of the fridge and scoop a generous amount out and place it directly into the centre of the muffin batter and then cover with the remaining (this is what makes these muffins that bit more special.

Now they’re done, place the muffin tray into your preheated oven and bake for 20-22 minutes – they should be well rise and smell gorgeous once ready.

Remove form the oven nd allow to cool almost fully and enjoy… The melted chocolate and orange flavour will partner together really well, trust me on that.

Square Black Forest Gateau

by bakingwithelliott 5 Comments

This Black Forest gateau is sure to be the perfect addition to whatever celebration you have planned in the coming months.

If you have been following me for a while, you may be aware this isn’t my first ever Black Forest gateau. I’ve actually made this cake every year on my blog with a twist making it different every year and well, this year is no different. I thought I’d add this version, it’s a simple square cake, which won’t fail to impress at your next celebration.

If you haven’t had a Black Forest gateau before, you’re missing out. It starts with a layers of chocolate sponge, filled with freshly whipped cream and cherry jam, then finished with more of the cream, grated dark chocolate and cherries. The combination of the chocolate cake and cherry jam is amazing but chuck in the cream and it’s a dream – don’t believe me? Give it a try for yourself.

This cake was a slightly special cake as it was made for my moms birthday and she asks for this cake every year but to keep it interesting I’ve finally got around to making a square cake – something I haven’t really done before (is it me or are round cakes more popular?)

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Cake:

470g Butter.

470g Granulated sugar.

6 Eggs.

410g Plain flour.

65g Cocoa powder

18g Baking powder.

Milk (optional, only use if needed).

Cream:

750ml Double cream.

125g Icing sugar.

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract.

Simple Syrup:

150ml Water.

150g Granulated sugar.

5ml Vanilla extract.

Coating & Finishing:

300-450g Dark chocolate, grated.

Maraschino cherries.

Cherry jam.

Methods:

Before you get into making this cake, you’ll want to do some prep work. I personally like to start by weighing up all of the ingredients, lining the 8 inch square tin with some parchment paper, preheating the oven to 180˚c/350˚f and preparing any equipment such as a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and a spatula.

To start on the cake, you’ll want to grab your mixing bowl and place in the butter and granulated sugar. Beat the two together until they are lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency – this should take around 7-9 minutes but may take more time, depending on how you’re mixing them together.

You can then go ahead and give the bowl a good scraping down, this is just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on.

Now you can go ahead and add in the eggs, roughly one at a time, beating well in between each addition. You may notice as the egg is added, that the mixture starts to curdle slightly and this is normal (you will be able to fix it at the next stage).

Don’t forget to give the bowl another scraping down, again just to incorporate any bits that haven’t been fully incorporated.

You can now go ahead and add in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, passing them through a sieve first (this is to remove any lumps that may be in the mix).

Start the mixture on a medium-low speed, working your way up to a medium-high speed, just until the flour has been incorporated. You may need to add some milk to help with the consistency (I find a tablespoon at a time works really well).

Give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully incorporated earlier on.

You can then transfer the cake batter into your lined square 8 inch cake tin, spread and level it out and then place into the preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre.

While the cake is baking, its the perfect time to get cleaned up and prepare for the next stages. At this stage I recommend you also make the simple syrup.

To make the simple syrup, it’s honestly super easy. Simply place the water, sugar and vanilla extract into the saucepan and mix together. Then place over a high heat and bring it to a boil, then you can allow it to simmer for a minute or so, just until, the mixture is thicker than water. Allow to cool fully, then its ready to use – if you’re making this in advance, store in an airtight jar and refrigerate until needed.

I leave everything I have done for the cake so far and leave it until tomorrow but if you only have one day to do everything, don’t worry, just ignore me on leaving everything overnight.

I start by levelling the cake, so you have two layers and then generously brush over the simple syrup. Leave the cake layers on a cooling rack while you make the whipped cream.

For the whipped cream, grab a clean mixing bowl and pour in all of the double cream and then add the icing sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk over a medium-high speed until the cream changes in consistency – it should be thick enough to hold its shape but still spreadable. If you have over-whipped the double cream, simply start over – the grainy mouthfeel will ruin it.

Now you have all of the elements ready, you can finish the cake. Take the cake stand/plate/cake board you intend on using and use a small blob of the freshly whipped cream, then place a layer of cake on top, pressing down to secure in place. Then on top of the layer of cake, you can spread a good amount of the whipped cream, spreading out to the edge of the cake, then spread as much or as little cherry jam as you’d like then sandwich the second layer of cake on top. Pressing down slightly, just to secure in place.

Then you can go ahead and give the cake a good coating with the remaining cream, reserving a piping bags worth. Spread and level the cream all over the cake, ensuring a level amount all over the cake.

Take the cake and coat the sides and top with the grated chocolate, making sure you get a good coverage all over the cake. You may need to go over some patches a few times to ensure a good coverage.

Place into the fridge and allow everything to firm up.

After the cake has been in the fridge for a short while, you can then remove it from the fridge and finish the cake off. Place the cake on to a turntable and pipe rosettes all around the outer edge of the cake – you will then want to add the maraschino cherries, how many you add is up to you – I went with what looked right but you can add more or less – you’re the judge here!

Place the cake back into the fridge and allow to firm up, I recommend eating this cake with 24/36 hours.

Cut up and slice this cake however you like, unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the inside as this was my moms birthday cake and we weren’t celebrating together, you know, with coronavirus and the other commitments I had going on in my life at that time.

Chocolate Sprinkle Cake | School Sponge Cake | Old School Traybake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

Today I’m sharing my recipe for a chocolate sprinkle cake. This is honestly such a simple and easy cake – it’ll be added to your list of things to make on the regular.

Now I know this cake isn’t anything special but the simplicity makes this cake so much more special. This cake was requested by a a commenter over on my YouTube channel, so I took that and worked around with it. This is a chocolate version of my sprinkle cake but if you’re looking for other old school favourites, check out these recipes chocolate concrete & pink custard, cornflake tart and chocolate hedgehogs.

This isn’t the version you remember from school, thats the standard sprinkle cake but this with some chocolate or mint custard, you’ll be well away. It’s a light and chocolatey sponge cake, topped with a simple chocolate icing and finished with rainbow sprinkles… Simple, straightforward and downright yummy!

Regardless of whether you’re a beginner or a skilled baker, this recipe is the perfect one to make with super simple ingredients and minimal time, you can easily have a cake baked and decorated in no time at all.

Anyway, let’s get starts, shall we?

Ingredients:

Cake:

220g Butter.

220g Granulated sugar.

4 Eggs.

1 tsp Vanilla extract.

180g Plain flour.

40g Cocoa powder.

1 tsp Baking powder.

Pinch of salt.

Optional – 30ml whole milk (dairy free milks work just as well).

Icing:

25g Cocoa powder.

400g Icing sugar.

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract.

Whole milk (the amount will vary depending).

Methods:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all your ingredients, lining a 9×13 inch cake pan with some parchment paper and grab any equipment you may need, such as a stand mixer (hand mixers and spatulas will work equally as well) and silicon spatula. Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f

To start on the cake, you’ll want to grab a large mixing bowl and place the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract into it. Then go ahead and add the dry ingredients, passing through a sieve first to remove any lumps that may be in the dry mix.

Start to incorporate the ingredients on a low speed, working your way up to a medium-high speed until the batter is smooth and glossy.

If needed, you can go ahead and add some milk. This is to help with achieving the perfect consistency, this is optional as you may not need it.

Give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that haven’t been fully worked in beforehand.

You can then go ahead and transfer the cake batter into your lined 9×13 inch cake tin, spreading it out to level and smooth it out.

Once the cake batter is smooth and level in the cake tin, you can place it into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester come out clean, when inserted into the centre.

Now that the cake has baked, you will want to allow it to cool down fully before you use it. I recommend leaving it in the cake tin as it’ll help when you add the icing, later on.

To make the icing, you’ll want to take medium-large mixing bowl and place the icing sugar and cocoa powder, giving a brief mix just to incorporate. Then slowly add in the milk and vanilla, then whisk until you have a thick but easily spreadable consistency.

When you’re ready, pour over the chocolate icing over the top of the baked and fully cooled cake, then spread it out until the whole cake has been coated and it is all level and consistent.

While the icing is still wet/tacky, take your rainbow sprinkles and scatter them all over the top of the cake, ensuring there is a consistent amount all over.

Allow the icing to firm up, I like to place my cake into the fridge as this allows for the optimum setting potential. A couple of hours will make all the difference, trust me on that one.

When it comes to cutting the cake up, its really up to you. I went with 12 very generously portioned squares but you could easily get 24 smaller rectangular slices – play around when it comes to slicing up the cake to suit you.

Vegan Oreo Chocolate Cake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

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Toffifee Muffins

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

It’s officially Bakemas 2019! 🎉

Today’s recipe is my take on a batch of Toffee muffins. Although they are available all year round, I only ever buy them at Christmas – if you’ve never heard or tried them before, where have you been?!

So, a toffifee consists of a caramel cup, filled with nougat, caramel and a whole hazelnut then topped with a round of chocolate. They are a very welcome addition to any baked good at Christmas.

My take on a toffifee in a muffin form starts with a chocolate chip muffin, filled with a caramel sauce and then topped with a blob of hazelnut chocolate spread (I used Nutella but feel free to use what you have or can get hold of).

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

MUFFIN:

150g butter.

100g granulated sugar.

3 eggs.

120g plain flour.

30g cocoa powder.

2 tsp baking powder.

Pinch of salt

100g milk chocolate chips.

FILLINGS:

Nutella or hazelnut chocolate spread.

Caramel (homemade or shop bought).

TOPPING:

Toffifee to finish/decorate

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, I recommend that you do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, get your muffin/cupcake cases ready and prepare any equipment you may need now. Taking these steps can help you prevent making mistakes

To start on the muffins, start by getting yourself a bowl and placing the butter and granulated sugar into it and beating them over a medium-high speed until they are well combined.

Add in your eggs, one at a time, beating well in-between each addition. As you add the eggs, you’ll notice the consistency change and become more looser but this is normal.

You can then go ahead and give the bowl a good scraping down, this is just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in previously.

Next, add the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, passing through a sieve first (this is just to remove any lumps that may be in the mix, especially as cocoa powder has a tendency to be lumpy). Along with the dry ingredients, add in the chocolate chips.

Incorporate the dry ingredients and chocolate chips by hand, folding them in using a silicon spatula. Try not to over-mix, so once there isn’t a trace of a single ingredient, stop mixing.

Transfer the muffin batter into piping bags (or you can spoon the mixture into the cases) and get your muffin cases ready. Fill the muffin cases about 2/3 of the way, then place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (a tester should come out clean when fully baked).

Allow them to cool fully before you finish them off.

Once they are fully cooled, get some caramel sauce and Nutella into separate piping bags. To finish the muffins, take something like a cake decorating tool or similar and make a hole in the centre of the muffin, this is for the filling.

Take your muffin with the hole in the centre and fill each muffin generously with the caramel sauce, allow the caramel to overspill a little. Then top that with some nutella or hazelnut chocolate spread, piping a generous swirl on top. Finish the muffins by topping each of them with a whole Toffifee.

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my Instagram and Twitter. The YouTube video will be linked down below.

Kinder Bueno Cake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

It’s officially Bakemas 2019! 🎉

Today’s recipe is showing you how to make a Kinder cake. Most people, at some point at Christmas have a cake. More traditionally a decorated fruit cake or a plain fruit cake but if you’re not a fan of them, this cake is the perfect alternative for chocolate lovers.

The cake consists of 2 layers of chocolate sponge cake, filled and coated with a Nutella buttercream and finished with a selection of Kinder chocolates. I know it’s not all that festive but will make a good replacement.

Don’t forget to check out the videos for my other Christmas cakes, both traditional and alternatives. Starting with the more traditional fruit cake and fruit cake 2 ways or for other alternatives, check out chocolate celebration cake, fresh cream cake and snowflake cake.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Chocolate cake:

250g Butter.

250g Granulated sugar.

3 Eggs.

210g Plain flour.

40g Cocoa powder.

1 1/2 tsp Baking powder.

Pinch of salt.

Simple syrup:

100g Granulated sugar.

100ml Water.

1 tsp Vanilla extract.

Nutella Buttercream:

250g Butter.

650g Icing sugar.

250g Nutella.

Milk (to help loosen the consistency, to be more spreadable).

Decoration/finishing:

Kinder Bueno’s (Both the milk chocolate and white chocolate variety).

Kinder chocolate bars.

Kinder happy hippos (I used the hazelnut milk flavour but feel free to use the cocoa ones if you’d prefer).

Methods:

As with all of my recipes, I recommend that you do some prep work, especially before you start (it will help eliminate the chances of things going wrong). Start by getting your 6 inch cake tins and lining them with greaseproof/parchment (if needed), preheat the oven to 180˚c/350˚f and weighing up all the ingredients.

Chocolate cake:

Start by getting your mixing bowl of choice, I went with my stand mixer bowl but feel free to use whatever you would normally use. Into the bowl, place the butter and granulated sugar and beat on a medium-high speed until they are fully incorporated.

Next you’ll want to give the bowl a good scraping down. This is just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on.

Now you can add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in-between each addition. As the eggs are added, you’ll notice the consistency change – don’t be too alarmed, this is normal.

A repeated step but give the bowl another good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in.

After the bowl has been scraped down, you can add the dry ingredients. Make sure you pass them through a sieve first, this helps to remove the lumps from the dry ingredients, especially the cocoa powder.

Incorporate the dry ingredients on a medium speed to start and then work your way up to a medium-high speed, adding a splash of milk if needed to achieve the right consistency.

Right away, take the cake batter and divide it between the two 6 inch cake tins, levelling them off using an offset palette knife – then you can place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester when inserted comes out clean.

While the cakes are in the oven baking, now would be the best time to make the simple syrup and buttercream.

Simple Syrup:

The simple syrup is the easiest thing to make.

Take a small/medium saucepan and place the water, granulated sugar and vanilla extract and give it a mix until its combined.

Place the saucepan on the hob over a medium-high heat and allow it come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, take off the heat and allow it to cool down fully before you use it.

If you’re making this in advance, store in suitable container in the fridge and keep chilled – use within 2 weeks.

Nutella Buttercream:

To make the buttercream, get yourself a mixing bowl (I used my stand mixer again) or feel free to use whatever you’ve got. Place the butter into the bowl and beat on a medium speed to start and once it’s going, crank the speed up to high and beat for a further 5-7 minutes or until the butter is lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.

Once the butter is done, give the bowl a good scrap down, then add your first addition of icing sugar. Start the mixer on a low speed to start and once the icing sugar is incorporated, crank the speed up to a medium-high and beat for a couple of minutes just to fully work in the icing sugar. Repeat with the remaining icing sugar.

After the second batch of icing sugar has been fully worked in, you can add in the Nutella. I slightly warmed the Nutella so it was easier to get out of the bowl and works into the buttercream easier. I used a fair bit of Nutella but I really wanted the have a strong flavour.

If the mixture is a little stiff, add a splash a milk (and maybe more if needed), make sure it’s at a spreadable consistency.

Place the buttercream into a bowl and set aside until it’s needed later on.

Assembly & Finishing:

You can start to assemble the cake once the cakes are baked and cooled, the simple syrup is completely cooled and the buttercream has been made.

To start assembling the cake, take your cake board, plate or stand and into the centre place a small but generous amount of buttercream and spread it out in a circle and place your first layer cake on-top of it, applying a little pressure just to secure it in place.

Next, you can add a generous amount of buttercream on-top of your layer of cake and spread it out using a cranked palette knife, just so its level. Then top the buttercream with the second layer of cake, sandwiching the cakes together.

Give the cake a generous coating of the buttercream, this is the crumb coat. This coating of buttercream does exactly what it says, it’s a layer of buttercream to lock in the crumbs from the cake. Once you’ve done the crumb coat, place in the fridge and chill it for 45-60 minutes.

After the cake has chilled, you can take it out of the fridge and apply the final layer of buttercream. On a normal cake I’d like to get the buttercream as level and perfect looking but for this cake I went a little more rustic and didn’t make it all that perfect. I actually quite liked how it wasn’t perfect, it kinda of added to the appearance of the cake… I know thats weird to say.

Now that the cake has been iced, you can finish/decorate the cake. I used a mixture of Kinder branded chocolates. Started with some of the hazelnut happy hippos, then some of the kinder bars (I’m not sure what these are actually called) and finished with pieces of the buenos, both the milk and white chocolate varieties.

I place my cake back in the fridge for around 30 minutes, just to firm up.

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my Instagram and Twitter. The YouTube video will be linked down below.

Black Forest Gateau (2019 Update)

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

Today, I’ll be showing you how to make a black forest gateau. This is a classic that will always go down a treat.

If you have ever visited my Instagram or watched my YouTube channel, you will know that this cake is something I make several times a year, in one shape or another.

This cake happens to be my mom’s favourite, so each year for her birthday, I’ll make one. Each year I’m trying to make it different to the last because who wants the same cake year after year? I know I don’t and I don’t like others to either.

You may remember that last year I made a black forest cakewhich was rectangular in it’s shape. That was the biggest difference I had made to the cake since I started to make them 6 years ago… Other black forest cakes I’ve made including black forest cake (2017 recipe), black forest cake (2018 recipe)and black forest cupcakes(check them out).

Anyway, I’m rambling now. Let’s get started, shall we?

Cake:

375g Butter.

375g Granulated white sugar.

5 Eggs.

325g Plain flour.

3 tsp Baking powder.

50g Cocoa powder.

Simple Syrup:

200g Granulated sugar.

200ml Water.

Filling & Coating:

600ml Double cream.

100g Icing sugar.

1 tsp Vanilla extract.

Cherry jam (I usually use homemade but this time I used M&S cherry jam).

Decoration:

300-350g Dark/milk chocolate, grated or curled.

Whipped cream (for the rosettes).

Maraschino/fresh cherries (whichever you like or is available).

Method:

Before you get started on the baking, you’ll want to do some prep work. Preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, weigh up your ingredients, make and prepare your tins if needed.

I also recommend you make the simple syrup at this point. Take a saucepan and place the sugar and water into it, giving it a good mix and then place on the hob over a medium-high heat and allow to come to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes (until the mixture has taken on a thicker consistency), then transfer into a bowl and allow to cool down fully before you use it.

To start on the cake batter, place your butter and sugar into your mixing bowl of choice and beat them together until they are lighter and fluffier in consistency and colour.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl and start adding your egg. Add your eggs one at time, beating well in-between each addition. Make sure that when you’re adding your eggs, the mixture doesn’t scramble. If it does, don’t stress too much. Just add a small amount of your weighed out flour.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl, this is to incorporate any bits from earlier on that may not have been fully worked in.

Place all your dry ingredients into a bowl and mix them together, then pass them through a sieve just to make sure there aren’t any lumps. I sieve my dry ingredients directly into the mixing bowl.

Mix the dry ingredients in over a low-medium speed. Make sure that they are fully incorporated then you can then turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.

Transfer the cake batter into the prepared tins and spread it out as evenly as possible. I used a small cranked/offset spatula to get it as level and smooth as possible but use whichever utensil may work best for you.

Place the tins into your preheated oven and bake for around 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. The time will depend on your oven, so the time may need to be adjusted.

Once fully baked, allow them to cool completely. Then you can level and trim them in whichever way the cakes may need.

Whip up a batch of the whipped cream, placing the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract into your mixing bowl and whip until it reaches a firm/stiff peak. Try not to over mix at this stage as it will ruin the cream.

It’s at this point you can simple syrup your cakes if you decide to do it. I chose to do it on this cake, to help keep it moist and fresh.

Take your board/plate/cake stand and spread a small amount of the whipped cream onto it and gently press a layer of the cake on top of it. Repeat this stage with the next layer of cake but for the final layer keep it plain.

Next, you’ll want to do a crumb coat using a small amount of the whipped cream. This is to lock in the crumbs that now won’t ruin your final coat of whipped cream. Once crumb coated, place in the fridge for 30-45 minutes until slightly firmed up.

Once it’s firmed slightly, apply a generous final coat, here is the perfect time to use a most of the whipped cream up (reserve a small amount for the rosettes).

Now that you crumb coat is done, you’ll want to coat the outside of the cake with the grated chocolate (use whatever you have or prefer). Make sure you use a good amount of the chocolate on the finishing. Once fully coated, place in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.

To finish the cake, you’ll want to pipe out rosettes on top, I piped rosettes all around the edge, alternating between some taller ones and some shorter ones. Top each of the rosettes with a maraschino cherry.

You may remember that earlier in the post, I mentioned about making the cake different each year. There is no difference now and to prevent food waste, I used up some choux buns that I had left over (click here for my standard profiterole recipe) and filled them with some of the whipped cream and cherry jam, then finished them with a drizzle of dark chocolate.

Place on top of the cake and refrigerate until needed. I promise this caeke will always go down a charm – make it for yourself and share with your friends and family!

That’s all for this week guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back next week with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my Instagram and Twitter. The YouTube video will be linked down below!

Valentine’s Day Cake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

If you are in need of a cake to make for Valentine’s Day, look no further.

This layer cake is super simple to make and assemble. The cake is made-up of three layers of chocolate sponge cake, which are brushed with simple syrup, then filled and finished with the same Nutella Italian buttercream (which is a smoother and creamier buttercream, less sweet then basic buttercream). The cake is then finished with a white chocolate drip, meringue kisses, chocolate chips, edible glitter and sugar paste hearts.

Of course, you can personalise the cake to suit you or the person you’re giving this too, it’s really up to you. In place of the finishings I used, feel free to us chocolate, fresh fruit and/or flowers.

Before you get into the cake making, you’ll want to do some prep. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f and lining your tins, if you decide to.

Once all the prep is done, you can get on with making the cakes.

Place your butter and sugar into your mixing bowl of choice (I opted for my stand mixer, but feel free to use a bowl and a hand mixer) and then beat the two together until they are well combined and have become lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency. Then add in your eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition. If you notice your mixture is starting to scramble, don’t worry. You can fix this by adding a small amount of your weighed out flour.

Now that the eggs have been fully worked in, stop the mixer and give the bowl a good scrape down, this is just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on. Then add in your dry ingredients, passing them through a sieve first to remove any lumpy ingredients (cocoa powder can be quite lumpy). Start to incorporate the dry ingredients on a low speed to start and as you see them beginning to incorporate, you can higher the speed from low to medium-high and adding the milk in increments, this is to help with the consistency of the batter (Try not to over-mix the cake batter once the flour is incorporated, otherwise this will result in a tough textured cake).

Divide the cake batter between your 6 inch cake tins, I weigh the cake batter and divide it as equally as I can using digital scales but if you don’t have these type of scales, feel free to eye ball it and roughly estimate the amount in each cake tin. Smooth off the tops of the cake batter in the tins then place on the middle shelf in your preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (or until a tester comes out clean).

While your cakes are in the oven, you can go ahead and make your Italian buttercream. I personally like this buttercream more than your standard buttercream as it’s smoother, more buttery and less sugary/sweet.

To start the buttercream, get yourself a small saucepan and place in the water and granulated white sugar, then place onto the hob over a medium-high heat until it reaches 121˚c/250˚f. Make sure you keep an eye on the temperature, don’t allow it to go above or below the required. While your sugar and water comes up to heat, place your egg yolks and whole egg into a mixing bowl (if you’re using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment for the best results) and whisk them together until they are very well combined, you will be able to tell one the volume has increased by 3 or 4 times what it was initially and it will be paler in colour.

Once the sugar and water has come up to temperature, you can then add it into the egg mixture. Turn the speed of your mixer down to low and slowly pour the hot sugar mixture in, try not to get it down the side of the bowl, if possible. Once all of the sugar mixture has been added, turn the speed back up to high and whisk for a few minutes until the mixture has cooled down. You’ll be able to tell when the mixture is cooled enough, by touching the bottom of the bowl with the back of your hand. If it isn’t too hot for you to handle, you can start adding your butter, if it’s too warm, continuing whisking for a couple of minutes. Once the mixture is cooled enough, add the butter a little at a time, whisking in between each addition. Make sure your butter is fully worked in before you stop the mixing process. Give the bowl a quick scrape down, then add in the Nutella and cocoa powder, give a good mix to incorporate. Once they’ve been fully worked in, give the bowl another good scrape down. You can then set the buttercream aside or place in the fridge until you need it later on.

I also recommend making your simple syrup at this stage, as it will give it time to cool completely before using. To make the simple syrup, you’ll want to place equal amounts of granulated white sugar and water into a saucepan and allow it to come to a boil, then remove from the heat and allow to cool before you intend on using it.

Once your cakes are fully baked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely before you try to trim them. Now is the perfect time to wash up all your dishes and utensils that you’ve used.

Once everything has been made and is cool and read to use – you are now ready to assemble the cake. So get all the separate parts ready and grab yourself a cake stand or plate!

Start by getting your layers of cake and level the tops of them using a cake leveller (or a serrated knife works equally as well) and generously simple syrup each layer. Set the layers of cake aside while you prep the stand – to prep the stand you’ll want to get your cake stand/plate of choice, then place a small blob of buttercream and spread it out using a offset spatula and place your first layer on cake onto it and press it into place. Top the layer of cake with a good amount of the buttercream and repeat this with the remaining cake layers. Once all the layers have been sandwiched together, you can give the coat a crumb coat. A crumb coat is a thin coat of icing which locks in all the crumbs so they don’t appear in the final layer of buttercream – once you’ve applied the crumb coat you can then set it in the fridge for a short while, just until it firms up.

Apply the final layer of buttercream and get it as smooth and perfect looking as possible – using a palette knife to spread the icing on and a scraper to smooth and level out the icing (watch the video for a more detailed view on it). You can then make the white chocolate ganache, which will be used for the drips later on. So, the ganache is really easy. Place your double cream into a saucepan over a medium heat and bring almost to a boil, then pour over your white chocolate and allow it to sit for a minute. You can then start to stir it together using a teaspoon or a small spatula until its smooth and has come together, it will have changed colour to a yellow-ish tone but don’t worry, once you add the food paste it will change. I used Wilton christmas red and it came out the perfect tone of pink for my cake but feel free to use pink food paste.

Take a teaspoon of the white chocolate and drip between 1/4 and 1/2 of it down the cake, repeat this all around the cake. For a visual effect, alter the length of the drips by making some longer and other shorter but feel free to make it suit you and your occasion.

To finish the cake, I place a few meringue kisses on top, then pipe some of the remaining chocolate buttercream at the sides of the meringues, then around the remaining exposed edge, I generously sprinkle a mixture of milk and dark chocolate chips and finish those with a sprinkle of edible glitter and for the spaces on the top and side I add a few sugar paste heart cut outs. This is how I opted to finish my cake but feel free to make your cake suit you and your occasion.

I will leave all the ingredients below, for those interested in making this recipe .

Cake:

230g Butter.

300g Granulated white sugar .

1 tsp Vanilla extract.

5 Eggs.

300g Plain flour.

40g Cocoa powder.

2 1/2 tsp Baking powder.

70ml Whole milk.

Buttercream:

250g Granulated white sugar.

65g Water.

70g Egg yolk.

1 small Egg.

500g Butter.

200g Nutella.

25g Cocoa powder.

White chocolate ganache (drip):

100g White chocolate.

100ml Double cream.

Red or pink food colouring paste.

Decoration:

I used meringue kisses (recipe coming soon), chocolate chips, edible glitter and sugar paste hearts but you can use whatever you like.

Devils Food Cake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

If you have come looking for a devil’s food cake, I’ve got you covered. This recipe is a classic and will go down a treat – I promise you that!

This weeks recipe is for a devils food cake and was requested by Chloe over on Instagram, so here you go – your suggestion made into a creation! If you’d like to make a request for a recipe, feel free to message me over on Instagram or twitter, comment on a YouTube video or submit a contact form and you might see your request made (currently I’m looking for Christmas and holiday themed recipes!).

Anyway, this cake has been enjoyed by many around the world over may years and I can see why. It’s a chocolate cake with chocolate icing, what’s not to love? Seriously. If you love chocolate, then this cake is for you.

Making the cake isn’t too hard, nor is the icing. The hardest thing about this cake is not wanting a slice straight away, that’s the honest truth!

To making your cake, you’ll want to do some prep work which will save you so much time in the long run! Preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, weigh up your ingredients and line or butter and flour your 6 inch cake tins, if needed (set them aside until needed later on).

Start making your cakes you’ll want to combine all the dry ingredients together in one bowl and into another bowl add In your wet ingredients and combine them, set both aside until needed a little later on. Into your bowl of choice (I went with my stand mixer bowl but feel free to use whatever you have or prefer) place the butter and sugar and beat together on a medium-high speed until well combined. Once well combined, you can then add in the eggs. One egg at a time, beating well in-between each addition, then give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may have not been fully worked in earlier on.

Next, you’ll want to start adding the dry and wet ingredients by alternating between them, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. You’ll want to add the dry and wet ingredients in roughly 3-4 stages, whichever works best for you, just remember to start and finish with the dry ingredients. Try not to over-mix the batter at this stage, otherwise the cake will be tough in texture. When it comes to putting the cake batter into the cake tins, you can do it two ways. The first would be to do it by eye, just scoop roughly the same amount into each cake tin and then level it off or you can do it the other way. The other way is more accurate by far, so you get the weight of your cake batter (using digital scales) and simply divide that amount by 2 and place that amount into each cake tin. Either method will work, but for me I always use the 2^ndmethod to ensure accuracy. Place these cake tins into your oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (or until a tester comes out clean).

While your cakes are in the oven baking, this is the perfect time to make the chocolate icing filling and coating. This is easy and doesn’t take a long time at all, start by placing the butter and cocoa powder into a small saucepan and place over a medium heat and continuously stir it when it starts to melt, once it’s ready it should be smooth and glossy. Transfer the chocolate mixture into a medium mixing bowl and then add in the icing sugar and combine them together until they come together. To finish the icing, add in 1 tbsp of milk and beat it in until its fully combined, I recommend using an electric hand mixer to achieve this result but feel free to use a whisk. I used around 2 ½ -3 tablespoons of milk but the amount will vary for each person, try not to add too much milk at this stage. Once you’ve got your icing, you may think it looks a little runny? Don’t worry, place it in the fridge just until you need it and it will thicken it up a fair amount, making it a spreadable consistency.

Once your cakes are fully baked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool down in the tins for around 10-15 minutes or until the tins are cool enough to touch, then remove the cakes from the tins and allow them to cool completely. If your cakes aren’t flat on top, feel free to level them off using a cake leveller or a ruler and knife (whichever you have and/or works best for you).

Now, we are almost done with the cake, so you can literally have your cake and eat it.

To finish the cake, take your chocolate icing out the fridge and give a mix to bring it back to a spreadable consistency and get your cake layers (plus any plate, cake stand or board you’re using to display the cake) and you’re set. Use a small amount of the chocolate icing to secure the cake in place, the add a good amount of the icing into the centre of the cake and spread it out using a small cranked palette knife until the layer is smooth, then sandwich the cakes together and use the remaining icing on the top and side of the cake, getting the layer as even as possible. For the decoration, feel free to use whatever sprinkles you’d like, I went with chocolate bits but if you wanted to add a bust of colour you could implement that with the sprinkles and right now would be the perfect opportunity to write onto the cake, if you need of course.

Andddd… You’re done! It doesn’t take too long and is easy to make, why not try it?

Ingredients:

Cake:

105g Butter.

70g Cocoa.

125g Granulated sugar.

2 Eggs.

210g Plain flour.

1 ½ tsp Baking powder.

½ tsp Salt.

120ml Coffee, cooled.

120ml Whole milk.

1 tsp Vanilla bean paste/extract.

Chocolate Icing:

175g Butter.

40g Cocoa powder.

115g Icing sugar.

2-3 tbsp Whole milk

Methods:

Cake:

First things first, do some prep work. Preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, weigh up your ingredients and line your 2 6 inch cake tins with greaseproof paper if needed and then set them aside until later on.
In a medium bowl, sift in the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Then give it all a mix just to combine and do the same thing with the coffee, whole milk, eggs and vanilla, mix them to combine and then set them bot aside until needed later on.
To start on the cake, place your butter and sugar into a bowl and beat them together until they come together over a medium speed, this takes a few minutes.
Once the butter and sugar are combined, add in your eggs, one at a time beating well inbetween each addition.
Give the bowl a good scraping down, to work in any bits that may not have been earlier on.
Add in around quarter of your dry ingredients and mix them in over a low-medium heat, just until combined. Then add in around third of the mixture and again, mix this on a low-medium speed until just combined. Alternate between the ingredients that you have remaining, remembering to start and end with the dry ingredients.
Split the cake mixture between the cake tins either by eye or using scales to get a more accurate measurement. Level the batter off as best you can using a small cranked palette knife and then place them into yoru preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes (or until a tester comes out clean).
Make your chocolate icing while you wait for the cakes to bake.
Once the cakes are fully baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for 10-15 minutes (or until you can touch the cake tins) and then remove them from the cake tins and allow to cool completely before finishing the cake.
You may also need or like to level the tops of your cakes off, so they aremore straight and level in the finishing process

Chocolate Icing:

To make the icing, it’s really easy. Get yourself a small saucepan and place the butter and cocoa powder into it and place the saucepan on the hob over a medium heat.
Once you start seeing the butter melting, start mixing them together so nothing burns and everything melts and comes together, it should be smooth and glossy.
Once you’ve got a smooth and glossy mixture, transfer it from the saucepan into a small mixing bowl and add in the icing sugar and give that a good mix until its fully incorporated.
Next you’ll want to add in a tablespoon of whole milk and mix until its fully incorporated. Repeat this until you mixture is smooth and spreadable, it should also look smooth.
Place the bowl into the fridge, this will help firm up the mixture a little.

Assembly:

Take your chocolate icing out the fridge and give a mix, just to bring it back to its best spreadable state and don’t forget to get your cake layers (along with any plate cake stand or board you intend displaying the cake on).
Spread a small amount of the chocolate icing onto the base and place your layer of cake onto the icing (this is to secure it in place). Add a good amount of the icing into the centre and level it off as best you can using a small cranked palette knife and then sandwich the other cake on top and finish the cake using the remaining icing.
Feel free to use any sprinkles or other decrations to finish the cake, it’s really up to you how you want to finish the cake off.

That’s it, now you can help yourself to a slice, make sure you like chocolate. Otherwise this might not be for you! Thank you so much for reading!

Chocolate Cake

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