CHOCOLATE AND MARMALADE CELEBRATION CAKE
Serves about 20 This makes one cake, double the base ingredients to get all the layers
250g unsalted butter, chopped
200g dark chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp instant coffee granules 375ml hot water
460g caster sugar
185g self-raising flour
75g plain flour
30g unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
YOU WILL ALSO NEED 200g orange marmalade, plus candied orange peel or peel from the marmalade
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature, chopped
400g icing sugar
60g unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
80ml milk
½ tsp salt
To make one cake, preheat the oven to 150°C/gas
2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 24cm springform cake tin. It is a very liquid batter, so if your tin leaks secure a piece of foil around the outside of the base and side. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and add the chocolate, stirring to melt. Add the coffee, water and sugar, stirring until you have a smooth mixture.
Remove from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Cool for 5 minutes. Sift the flours and the cocoa powder into the chocolate mixture and stir through. Lightly whisk the eggs with the vanilla then add them to the bowl, beating well by hand or with an electric beater until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the tin. Repeat and make a second cake.
To make the buttercream icing, beat the butter in an electric mixer until pale and thick. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder together and add to the butter, beating at low speed until combined. Add the vanilla, milk and salt, and beat well until you have a smooth icing. Halve each cake so you end up with four round layers.
Lay one layer of cake on a serving plate, spread one-third of the marmalade all over it, then a quarter of the buttercream, then top with the next layer of cake and repeat. On the last layer of cake, top only with buttercream. Decorate with pieces of orange peel from the marmalade or fresh flowers, as you wish.