Made with love
Celebrate Mothering Sunday on 31 March with this magnificent chocolate teacup cake
Treat your mother to this magnificent chocolate cake
Cup of tea cake You can choose your mum’s favourite colour for the cup.
SERVES 12 PREP about 1½hr, plus cooling, chilling and setting COOK about 50min
FOR THE CAKE
• 225g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 425g (15oz) caster sugar
• 4 large room temperature eggs, beaten
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 300g (11oz) self-raising flour
• 1½tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 75g (3oz) cocoa powder
• 225g (8oz) full fat yogurt
• 175ml (6fl oz) hot strong black coffee
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
• 250g (9oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 600g (1lb 5oz) icing sugar, sifted, plus extra to dust
• 100g (3½oz) milk chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2-3tbsp milk
YOU’LL ALSO NEED
• 600g (1lb 5oz) light blue fondant/sugar paste icing, we used Squires Kitchen Frosted Leaf
• Large plate, about 25.5cm (10in), to act as a saucer
• 75g (3oz) white fondant icing
• Cocktail sticks
1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease and line the base and sides of two 20.5cm (8in) round loose-bottomed cake tins
(at least 4cm/1½in deep) with baking parchment.
Make cake: in a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a handheld electric whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs and vanilla extract.
2 Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa into a separate bowl. Fold yogurt into egg mixture, followed by half flour mixture. Gradually fold in hot coffee followed by remaining flour mixture, until smooth. Divide between tins.
3 Bake for 45-50min until springy to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tins for 30min, then remove from tins and cool completely on a wire rack.
4 Make buttercream: in a large bowl, beat butter and icing sugar with a handheld electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled melted chocolate and 1tbsp milk.
Set aside 300g (11oz) buttercream for top of cake.
5 Place one cake on a board and spread with some of the remaining buttercream. Top with other cake; press down lightly. Carve sandwiched cake into a cup shape, keeping top layer as wide as possible. Carefully turn cake on to a clean baking sheet (wide end down).
6 Use remaining unreserved buttercream to ice a thin layer on outside of carved cake. With a length of string, measure from base of cake on one side, over top of cake