Author: Cakes - Donna Hay, Decorations - Hotly Spiced
Recipe type: Cakes
Cuisine: Australian
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 50
A muddy-chocolate Christening Cake
Ingredients
For the 18cm (7 in) Cake:
150g (5oz) dark cooking chocolate, chopped
185g (6 oz) butter, chopped
4 eggs
¾ cup castor (superfine) sugar
¾ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup GF SF flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup almond meal
For the 24cm (9½ in) Cake:
300g (10oz) dark cooking chocolate, chopped
375g (12oz) butter, chopped
8 eggs
1½ cups caster (superfine) sugar
1½ tspns vanilla extract
1½ cups SF flour
1½ tspns baking powder
½ cup cocoa powder
¾ cup almond meal
For the Ganache:
¾ cup pouring cream
600g dark cooking chocolate
To Decorate the Cake:
1kg white fondant
blue food colouring
1 lightly beaten egg white
small, clean paint brush
circle cutters and primrose cutter
pearl cachous
Instructions
Make the cakes separately.
Cakes will be easier to decorate if made ahead and frozen.
Preheat oven to 140C (280F).
Stir the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Set aside.
Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy and thick. Fold in the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa over the top and gently fold through with the almond meal.
Line the tin with non-stick baking paper. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 1½ hours for the smaller cake and 1 hr 50 mins for the larger cake.
Allow cakes to cool in the tin.
Make the ganache. Heat cream until almost boiling. Remove from heat. Add chocolate then cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir. Ganache should be velvety and glossy. Allow the ganache to cool to spreading consistency.
When cold, place the larger cake upside down on a cake board using a little fondant on the centre of the board to help secure the cake onto the board.
Cover cakes in ganache and allow the ganache to set.
Dye half the fondant light blue.
Roll out remaining white fondant and cover larger cake.
Roll out blue fondant and cover smaller cake. Carefully lift smaller cake on to the top of the larger cake making sure it's centred.
Roll out 2 long ropes of blue fondant then twist to form a length of rope.
Using a paint brush, brush around the base of the cake with egg white.
Secure rope around the base of the cake.
Roll out remaining white and blue fondant and cut out circles in 2 different sizes. Affix onto top layer of cake with egg white.
Cut out blue flowers using primrose cutter then stick onto sides of cake with egg white.
Use tweezers to affix a pearl cachous into the centre of each flower.
Use remaining white fondant to make a little teddy bear. Make it separately then stick it onto the cake with egg white. The teddy bear is a larger mound of fondant with a smaller mound of fondant for his head and ears. Affix some arms and legs then push silver cachous into the face to make eyes and a nose. Use a knife to make a mouth. Roll out some blue fondant and cut a length to make a scarf and secure it with egg white. Carefully place him in the centre of the cake.
Recipe by Hotly Spiced at http://hotlyspiced.com/a-christening-cake/