My son went back to Uni this week and as a parting treat I made a rich Devil's Food Chocolate Cake which I decorated using a Tando Creative stencil and icing sugar on the top.
Such a simple thing to do but it does look fab!
Tando Creative do a couple of larger stencils which are ideal to decorate a basic 8" cake - I used the Andy Skinner-Sunburst mask but you could also use the Andy Skinner-Tornado or maybe the Giovanna-8" Doilie.
Lots of the other masks would do it too, depends on what design you would like and what size cake you want to decorate. If you have a bigger cake then maybe try one of the Crafters Workshop 12x12 stencils! And you can, of course, use them for all your crafty projects too. Just be sure to keep the stencil clean if you are using for food use.
As well as looking good this cake is a real treat for chocolate lovers. The addition of coffee results in a deep dark, fudgy texture and enhances the chocolate taste, with no taste of coffee at all!
Ingredients:
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 275g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 200g self-raising flour
- 75g cocoa powder
- 1sp baking powder
- 1tbsp coffee mixed with 125ml boiling water
- 125ml milk
- 1tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 125g unsalted butter, diced
- 25g cocoa powder
- 125g icing sugar
- 2-3tbsp milk
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F / Gas 4).
- Grease the cake tins and line with baking paper, or use cake liners.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a tine, whisking well after each addition, until well mixed. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. In another bowl, mix together the cooled coffee, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Beat alternate spoonfuls of the dry and liquid ingredients into the cake batter. Once the mixture is well blended, divide it between two 8" tins.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cakes are springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the baking paper.
- For the frosting, melt the butter in a pan over low heat. Add the cocoa powder and continue to cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently. Allow to cool slightly.
- Sift in the icing sugar, beating thoroughly to combine. Blend in the milk one tablespoon at a time, until smooth and glossy. Allow to cool (it will thicken). Pop into the fridge to cool and thicken quicker.
- Use the frosting to sandwich the two cake halves together. Double the quantity should you wish to cover the whole cake as well! Use chocolate shavings on the top of the frosted cake for decoration. Or alternatively use a stencil and sift icing sugar through to create the design. Only do this one the cake has fully cooled.
Recipe tried and tested by myself, many times, and taken from one of my fave goto bake books - Step-by-Step Baking by Caroline Bretherton.
Here is a Devil's Food Chocolate Cake which I completely covered in frosting and then shaved white chocolate onto. A vegetable peeler or the slotted parts of a cheese grater are handy tools for shaving chocolate!
The cake will keep in an airtight container for 5 days. Can't imagine it will be hanging around that long though!
Mmmmm, looks lovely and gooey with that frosting Caroline!
Posted by: Angelnorth | Friday, 19 September 2014 at 03:07 PM