Annabel Langbein Ultimate Chocolate Cake

3 cups self-raising flour
2 cups sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda, sifted
200g butter, softened
1 cup milk or unsweetened yoghurt
3 large eggs
1 cup boiling hot coffee

Icing:Chocolate Ganache

Fill with whipped cream

Heat oven to 160°C. Grease the sides and line the base of a 30cm round cake tin or 2 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.

Place all ingredients in a bowl or food processor and mix or blitz until the ingredients are combined and the butter is fully incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared tin or tins and smooth top. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin. If not using at once, the cake will keep for about a week in a sealed container in the fridge. You can also freeze it uniced.

Cover cake with chocolate Ganache and fill with whipped cream

Variation:

To make chocolate cupcakes using this recipe, preheat oven to 160°C and line 24 muffin pans with paper cases. Prepare cake batter according to the instructions for The Ultimate Chocolate Cake (see above). Spoon mixture into the paper cases, filling about two thirds full. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool before icing. For icing, beat 200g firm cream cheese with 100g softened butter until smooth. Gradually beat in 2 cups icing sugar until smooth and creamy. Add a few drops of food colouring to get the desired colour. Icing can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week. Pipe onto the cakes and top with confectionery sprinkles. Makes 24.

Minnie Mouse Cake

Here's a Minnie Mouse Cake I made over the weekend. Its a two tiered chocolate cake covered in ganache then fondant. The topper is made from black fondant, then I attached the ears with spaghetti pasta. I found this Tutorial for the pink bow on top. I'm really happy with how this cake turned out. I tripled my chocolate cake  recipe for this cake.

21st Birthday Cake

I made this cake for two of my friends 21st Birthdays. They wanted to have them both on the cake, one doing the Pukana and the other was suppose to be hanging up the washing but I found it really hard to make the figures standing up so I made her sitting down by the washing line with a bunch of book. I think it turned out really great but will make sure I use a better glue next time cause the heads and eyes were starting to fall off at the end of the night. I doubled my Chocolate Cake Recipe for the cake then covered it in my Favourite Ganache recipe from Planet Cake.

Chocolate Ganache

Adapted From Planet Cake.

300g Nestle Dark Chocolate

150mls Cream

Place chocolate and cream in a bowl and melt in the microwave for 1 minute stir then place back in the microwave again for 30 seconds until chocolate has melted. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or until firm and cooled. Once cooled its ready to use.