Christmas Cake

Dark chocolate cake with snowy butter cream icing

This rich moist chocolaty cake is the perfect treat for the chocolate lovers in this festive season.I made this specially for Jesus on his birthday and off course for my hubby too.This is such a decorative cake which you can decorate without any cake decorating tip and bla bla bla...Very simple yet impressive :)

So, here is the recipe in it's simpler form which I have followed.

Ingredients:

FOR THE CAKE BASE:

200g good quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids

200g butter

1 ½ cup self-raising flour

5 teaspoons cocoa powder

4 eggs

3/4 teaspoon salt (if using salted butter please avoid adding salt further)

1 1/2 cups of caster sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

FOR THE GANACHE GLAZE:

200g good quality dark chocolate, as above

200ml heavy cream

FOR THE TOPPING:

50 g Butter

100 g Icing sugar

½ tsp vanilla essence1/2 tablespoon milk

Method:

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 180 degree C.

Butter a round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper

Butter the  parchment paper from top.

Dust with flour, and tap out excess; set aside.

Now melt chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Let cool completely.

STEP 2

Now mix self-raising flour, sugar, and cocoa powder in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps.

Beat 4 medium eggs in a bowl and stir with vanilla essence and buttermilk.

Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency.

STEP 3

Pour this into the tin and bake for until a toothpick comes out clean ,about 45 minutes.

Let cool on wire racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes, and remove parchment.

Let cool completely on racks.

STEP 4

Meanwhile, make the ganache glaze: Bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate in a bowl; stir until smooth. Let cool completely.

STEP 5

 Pour glaze over the cake all at once, using a spatula to push it over edges and down sides(This must be done in one pour or the coating will have drips).

Refrigerate until set, 30 to 45minutes.

STEP 6

Make the topping: Beat butter until soft

Gradually beat in the icing sugar with vanilla essence and milk to make a smooth and fluffy consistency .

Step 7

Mound the white butter cream on top of the cake; swirl decoratively. Serve.

Note:

You can decorate the cake with edible chocolate Christmas tree and deer as I have done here. For that melt the chocolate and draw your desirable designs on a parchment paper by spreading the chocolate and just cool it in refrigerator and take them out from the paper just before decorating.