Chocolate Pillow Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:
175g organic unsalted butter
160g organic golden caster sugar, divided into 115g and 45g
6 large organic free range eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla bean paste
1.5 tsp glycerine
150g sifted organic self-raising flour
25g organic fair-trade cocoa powder
225g plain organic fair-trade chocolate 70% cocoa

For the filling:
100g plain organic fair-trade chocolate 70% cocoa
140g unsalted butter
140g icing sugar

To decorate:
500g fondant icing, coloured to your theme
Fabric effect sugar flowers and leaves

This is a dense chocolate cake, suitable for cake carving, but remains moist and delicious! Adding vanilla bean paste (or a very good quality extract if you can’t get paste) adds a subtle depth of flavour to the cake. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.

Heat your oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease and line a 6” square cake tin with baking parchment. In a heat-proof bowl, break up the chocolate into small pieces and melt in either a microwave or by resting the bowl over a pan of bowling water. Set aside to cool back to room temperature.

In a food mixer, cream together the butter and 115g of caster sugar (reserving 45g for use latter) in a large bowl until light and fluffy (even with an electric mixer, this should take you at least 10mins to get to really light and fluffy!). Don’t scrimp on time at this stage – it will make such a vast difference to your finished cake. Separate your eggs, setting aside the whites to use a little latter. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time into the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla bean paste and glycerine – mix well. Slowly beat in the cooled melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl, whisk your egg whites to the soft peak stage. Slowly beat in the remaining 45g of castor sugar. In another bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder.

Using a large metal spoon and a gentle folding action, fold alternate spoonfuls of the flour/cocoa and egg whites until the mixture is well combined, but don’t over-beat.

Place in the oven. Check the cake after 45mins, it is ready when it is beautifully risen, firm to touch and a skewer comes out clean after being inserted in the middle. If the cake needs longer, check again after 10 mins.

As this is a carved cake, it is important to allow the cake to cool completely in the tin and then transfer to an airtight tin to rest for at least 12 hours before carving.

To make the buttercream, in a heat-proof bowl, break up the chocolate into small pieces and melt in either a microwave or by resting the bowl over a pan of bowling water. Set aside to cool back to room temperature. Beat the softened butter with the icing sugar with an electric beater, beating until soft and light, then slowly incorporate the cooled melted chocolate.

To assemble, carve the cake using a hand-cut template and a serrated knife. Do not split your cake until you have finished carving. Cut the cake in two and sandwich back together with the chocolate buttercream. Use the remaining buttercream to crumb coat the cake. Set aside to firm up in a cool place. Then cover with fondant icing and decorate with sugar flowers, sugar laces and garret frills.





If you have any questions, do leave a comment - or just let me know what you think!

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