Grandma’s chocolate cake

Andrew used his Gran’s recipe for a classic light chocolate cake and topped it with chocolate icing, chocolate shards, hazelnuts and raspberries for a spectacular finish.

For this recipe you will need 3 x 18cm/7in sandwich tins and a large piping bag fitted with a large closed star nozzle.

Ingredients

235g/8½oz self-raising flour

255g/9oz caster sugar

20g/¾oz cocoa powder

1½ tsp baking powder

4½ medium free-range eggs, beaten

255g/9oz baking margarine

2 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

For the icing


225g/8oz caster sugar

225g/8oz evaporated milk

240g/8¾oz plain chocolate, finely chopped

115g/4oz salted butter

To decorate


75g/2½oz raspberries

30g/1oz roasted chopped hazelnuts

50g/1¾oz dark chocolate

50g/1¾oz white chocolate

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease and line three 18cm/7in sandwich tins with baking paper.

For the cake, sieve the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and margarine and beat on high speed for 10 seconds using an electric mixer. Scrape down the sides to make sure everything is incorporated. Add the milk and mix for another 10 seconds on high until well combined.

Divide the mixture evenly between the three sandwich tins and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until springy to the touch and starting to come away from the sides of the tins. Remove from the tins and place on a wire rack to cool.

For the icing, add the sugar and evaporated milk to a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Stir until it starts to simmer, then stop stirring and allow to bubble for 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Add the chocolate and butter to the warm mixture and stir until melted and incorporated. Cool until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Transfer the icing to a large piping bag fitted with a large closed star nozzle.

To decorate, stack the three layers of cake with 3–4 piped rings of icing in between each layer. Cover the top with small swirls of icing then add the raspberries and sprinkle the roasted chopped hazelnuts over the cake.

In two separate bowls, melt three-quarters of the white chocolate and dark chocolate. Once melted and cooled slightly, add the remaining quarter of each chocolate and stir until combined. When the melted chocolate becomes tacky, spread the dark chocolate in a thin layer on a large piece of non-stick paper, acetate or a silicone mat. Drizzle lines of the white chocolate across the dark. Leave to set completely then cut into shards. Use the shards to decorate the top of the cake.

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