On 18th November, we are holding the 2nd annual Great British Tea Party, giving you the perfect excuse to pop the kettle on, grab your friends, family and colleagues, and indulge in a delicious slice (or two) of cake. The Great British Tea Party is held on 18th November to coincide with European Antibiotic Awareness Day and we need as many of you as possible to stop for tea and cake, and raise as much money as possible to fight the impending health catastrophe of antibiotic resistance.
Jo Wheatley, a Great British Bake Off winner, has kindly donated a scrumptious chocolate cake recipe for our supporters. Here it is:
Ultimate chocolate cake
Every baking book needs ‘that’ chocolate cake, the one you can pull out of the bag and know that it will impress, comfort and celebrate – and this is the one. This cake looks amazing and tastes even better, and you can decorate it with whatever takes your fancy.
Ingredients
175g unsalted butter, softened
300g caster sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
75g self-raising flour
200g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g cocoa powder
200ml sour cream, at room temperature (see Top Tip page 220)
50g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
100g white chocolate, roughly chopped
Decoration
300g double cream
150g good-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
150g milk chocolate, finely chopped
16-24 Cadbury Dairy Milk ‘Little Bars’
Some chocolate truffles, sweets or fresh soft fruits (such as raspberries, strawberries)
You will also need a 20cm springform cake tin, buttered and the base lined with a disc of buttered baking parchment, and a wide ribbon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4.
- Beat the butter and caster sugar together until pale, light and fluffy: this is easiest using a freestanding mixer or an electric hand-held mixer. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Sift both flours, the bicarbonate of soda and the cocoa into a large bowl. Add half the sifted dry ingredients to the butter-and-egg mixture and fold in using a large metal spoon.
- In another bowl, mix together the sour cream and cream cheese until smooth and fold half into the cake mixture. Repeat this process with the remaining flour and sour cream and mix until smooth.
- Fold the chopped white chocolate and spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin. Spread level using a palette knife.
- Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, prepare your decoration. Make a chocolate ganache by bringing the cream to the boil in a pan. Remove from the heat, then add the chopped chocolates and stir until smooth and shiny.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Spread a thin layer of the ganache over the sides and top of the cake using a palette knife.
- Stick the chocolate bars around the cake, with the smooth sides facing out. Wrap with a thick ribbon to keep the bars in place. Fill the centre of the cake with your favourite sweets, chocolate truffles or soft fruits.
Top tip
If you need to make the chocolate bars the right height in proportion to your cake, use them at room temperature and trim them down (this works particularly well with Milky Bars). This will also give the cake a more informal look.