Recipe: Chocolate and Vanilla Layer Cake

A recipe for chocolate and vanilla layer cake

For the chocolate sponge cakes: 300g Butter 200g Caster Sugar 100g Soft Brown Sugar

6 eggs

250g Self Raising Flour 50g Cocoa Powder (or more if needed) 1tsp Baking powder

For the Vanilla Sponge Layer: 150g Butter 150g Caster Sugar 3 eggs 150g Self Raising Flour 1st Vanilla Essence 1tsp Baking Powder

Buttercream: 350g Butter 600g Icing sugar 75g Cocoa powder

Decoration 1 large pack of British raspberries 200g Milk Chocolate 100g White Chocolate

Truffles: 300g icing sugar 100g Butter 100g Dark Chocolate

Method for the Chocolate Truffles: It is best to make these in advance, so they can set overnight: 1) Place the butter into a large mixing bowl, then slowly sift in the icing sugar, creaming the mixture together until completely combined 2) Melt the chocolate in a non-metal bowl in the microwave, heating it for thirty seconds at a time on a low heat until the chocolate is mostly liquid. Use a spoon to smooth any lumps out of the chocolate, it is best to under-heat the chocolate, as it will be ruined if burnt. 3) Add the chocolate into the butter and icing sugar, stirring until well-combined and thick. 4) Take tea-spoons of truffle mixture at a time, rolling into equally sized balls, until all of the mixture has been used. To add extra effect you could roll the truffles in edible glitter or chocolate shavings. 5) Place the truffles on a plate and put into the fridge for four hours to allow to set

Method for the Chocolate Sponge Cakes: 1) Firstly, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius then grease and line two round, loose-bottomed cake tins. 2) Place the butter, caster sugar and soft brown sugar in a large mixing bowl, and cream together with a wooden spoon, or whisk together using an electric mixer, until the mixture is light, fluffy and well combined. 3) Break the eggs one by one into a separate mug, ensuring there is no egg shell. Then whisk each egg slightly before pouring into the mixture and beating vigorously. Don't panic if the mixture curdles, it will adjust back once the flour has been included. 4) Add the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder gradually to the cake mixture, and fold in slowly so to not lose any air already in the cake. 5) Split the mixture between the two cake tins, spreading smoothly, before placing in the oven on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when put into the cakes. If the cake tops are starting to burn, cover with aluminium foil to protect them until they've finished baking. 6) Take the cakes out of the oven and leave to cool for five minutes on the side, before turning out onto a wire rack. Don't turn the oven off as you'll need it for the vanilla layer.

Method for the Vanilla Sponge: 1) Repeat steps 2-4, replacing the chocolate ingredients with the smaller amount of vanilla ingredients. 2) Pour the mixture into a round tin which is the same size used for the chocolate sponge cakes, then place into the oven for 20 minutes, checking the cake in the same way as the chocolate sponges. Take out and leave to cool, whilst making the chocolate butter cream.

Method for the Chocolate Butter cream: 1) Cream the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder together in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or electric whisk 2) Taste and adjust the ingredients accordingly, adding more cocoa powder if it's too sweet.

To put the cake together: 1) Once all of the cake layers are room temperature, place the first chocolate layer on a plate, and then thickly spread on half of the butter cream mixture. For extra effect you could add a layer of raspberries on top of the butter cream. 2) Place the vanilla sponge on top of the chocolate sponge, ensuring it is level so the cake won't tip when stacking the third layer. Spread on the second half of the butter cream, and then add another layer of raspberries if you wish to. 3) Layer the final chocolate sponge on top of the vanilla layer, again making sure it is level and stable. 4) Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave, and pour generously over the cake, making sure it drizzles over the sides. 5) Place the chocolate truffles and raspberries on top of the cake, then use a teaspoon to drizzle the white chocolate over the cake.