Scrumptious Saturdays-Ultimate Chocolate Cake

 Just looking at it makes me hungry!

For this Scrumptious Saturdays I'm posting a super delicious chocolate layer cake! This was the first time I've ever made a layer cake, and the recipe is super easy and delicious! It looks way more time consuming than it actually is! It's the perfect special occasion or treat yourself decadent cake! The sparklers are optional, but who doesn't like sparkly cake?

Chocolate, Strawberry Layer Cake

Adapted from Chocolate Layer Cake in Junior Masterchef

Serves: 10

For the Cake:
75g Cocoa Powder
225g Self-Raising Flour
60g Plain Flour
185g Softened Unsalted Butter, Chopped
400g Caster Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
4 Eggs
180ml Water
80g Chocolate
250g Punnet Strawberries, Sliced.

For the Icing:
200g Chocolate
200g Pure Cream

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line the bases of two 20cm round cake pans (I just reused the same pan).

Sift the cocoa powder, self-raising flour and plain flour into a large bowl. Add the butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs and water and beat on low for about 1 minute or until roughly mixed. Increase speed to medium and beat until the mix is just combined- it should be thick and pale.

Pour about half the mixture into one pan and the other half in the other pan, then smooth the tops (as we'll be stacking the cakes, you want them to be as smooth as possible). Bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Once the cake are baked press down lightly on the tops of the cakes to flatten them out- this should prevent you having to cut the tops of the cakes later. Cool the cakes in their pans for about five minutes and then move onto a wire rack to cool.

Cool the cakes completely (for about two hours) before decorating.

Place the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it just reaches boiling point and then pour over the chocolate. Stir gently to make sure all of the chocolate is covered by the cream and allow it to sit for a minute. Stir until smooth.

To assemble the cake, place one cake right way up on a plate. Cover with about 1/3 of the chocolate ganache over the cake and cover with strawberries. Place the second cake on top and pour the remaining chocolate ganache over the cake- don't worry if it drips down the sides, it's all part of the effect. Place the remaining strawberries on the cake and sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Serve straight away :) Or with sparklers!