*This recipe is by one of our Love Baking Club subscribers, Erica Grubb. Thank you for this recipe, Erica!
Cake Ingredients:
- 6 eggs
- 370g (1 3/4 cups) caster sugar
- 310ml (1 1/4 cups) milk
- 250ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 450g (3 cups) self-raising flour
- 40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
- 30g (1/4 cup) dark cocoa, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 60ml (1/4 cup) milk, extra
- 300ml double cream
Chocolate Buttercream Ingredients:
- 250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 150g (1 cup) icing sugar mixture, sifted
- 180g Dark Chocolate roughly chopped, melted, cooled
Chocolate Ganache Glaze Ingredients:
- 200g Dark Chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons glucose syrup
- 200ml pouring cream
Zebra Curls Ingredients:
- 150g Dark Choc Melts, melted, cooled
- 150g White Choc Melts, melted, cooled
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan forced. Grease 2 20cm (base measurement) round cake pans and line the base and sides with baking paper.
- Use electric beaters to beat the eggs and sugar in a bowl for 3 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the milk, oil and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Add the flours (mixture may curdle). Stir until well combined.
- Divide the cake mixture between 2 bowls. Combine the cocoa, cinnamon and extra milk in a bowl to form a paste. Fold the cocoa paste into 1 portion of the cake batter until just combined. Working quickly, drop alternating 1⁄4 cupfuls of mixture in the centre of the prepared pans to make concentric circles.
- Bake the cakes for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
- For the buttercream, use electric beaters to beat butter and icing sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Beat in the chocolate until smooth and combined.
- Trim cakes if needed. Place 1 cake on a plate. Spread with 1⁄2 cup buttercream. Place the second cake on top and spread the remaining buttercream all over the side and top of the cake to coat thinly. Place in the fridge for 1 hour or until firm.
- For the chocolate ganache glaze, place chocolate and glucose in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Pour over the chocolate mixture. Stir until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the ganache in a separate bowl.
- Transfer the cake to a wire cake rack. Place on a baking tray. Pour the ganache over the top and side, allowing any excess ganache to drip off. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set. Transfer the cake to a serving plate.
- For the curls, spread cooled dark chocolate thinly over a marble board or work surface. Drag a cake decorating comb or fork through the chocolate to create even lines. Set aside at room temperature. Spread the cooled white chocolate over the dark chocolate to fill the gaps. Set aside until just set.
- Using the edge of a sharp knife at a 45° angle, scrape diagonally across the top of the chocolate. If the chocolate has set too hard, leave in a warm place to soften slightly.
- Whisk cream until thick enough to dollop. Drizzle over reserved ganache. Fold gently to create a swirled effect. Decorate cake with cream and chocolate curls.