Chocolate And Raspberry Occasion Cake

Since being back at university for the exam period, I haven't had access to ANY cooking equipment except for a microwave, so haven't been able to create any more cheap and easy meals for you to have a look at! It's safe to say that I definitely miss the oven and the hob, but I chose to be in catered halls because of the social benefits - going to tea and meeting new people - although the food is less than up to scratch! Anyway, this post will be about an occasion cake I made during the holidays for Easter Sunday. It's another Lorraine Pascale creation (the woman is a saint!) that it is extremely appealing to the eye, and even more appealing to the stomach! I've had an appetite for baking ever since my auntie started her own business making cakes in the Bristol area, and it has increased since The Great British Bake Off has been on our screens! I just love the feeling of creating something that looks pretty and tastes even better, that people will talk about and maybe try themselves. I have to confess, I didn't use Lorraine's actual cake recipe, but I just stole her idea of how to decorate it. I couldn't find chocolate cigarillos so I used chocolate fingers instead. Here are the ingredients and the method so that you can create your own masterpiece:

INGREDIENTS
(serves 12-18, depending on how greedy they are!)

Cake
225g butter or stork
200g caster sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
200g self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
40g cocoa powder
4 eggs
100g chopped milk chocolate/chocolate chips

Buttercream 
250g unsalted butter (softened)
500g icing sugar
100g good quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)

Decoration
4 boxes chocolate fingers
3 small punnets of raspberries

METHOD

• Preheat your oven to 170°C in a fan oven and 190°C in a conventional gas oven.
• Line a 20cm round deep tin with baking paper and brush with butter.
• Cream your butter/stork, caster sugar and golden syrup for at least 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has been properly combined with the fat.
• Crack one of the eggs into the mixture and add a tbsp of flour. Repeat this process until all of the eggs have been combined.
• Sift in the rest of the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and fold until fully combined and the mixture is a consistent colour with no white flecks of flour visible.
• Stir in the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips.
• Pour the cake mixture into the pre lined and greased tin and make sure it has a flat surface.
• Cook in the middle of the oven for around 50 minutes. Do not open the oven until at least 40 minutes have passed. 
• While the cake is cooking you can make the buttercream. Melt the dark chocolate and leave to cool. Whisk the butter and icing sugar together until it reaches a smooth consistency and then add the melted, cooled butter.
• Once the cake is cooked (you can tell by placing a skewer in the middle of the cake - a clean skewer indicates the cake is cooked) take it out of the oven and place on a cooling rack.
• Once the cake is completely cooled, cut the top flat with a large serrated knife and cut the cake in half (I scored around the edge, constantly turning the cake, and slightly edged the knife in until i reached the middle).
• Add a nice, thick layer of butter cream to the middle of the cake and sandwich the two halves together.
• Then cover completely the top and sides of the cake with buttercream (I had the cake on a chopping board as I didn't have a turntable but it worked a treat! I just kept turning the chopping board as I saw fit).
• Put the cake in the fridge until the first layer of buttercream has set and then add another. This will give the cake a more smooth finish as it is easier to get neat edges. 
• Next, gently push the chocolate fingers vertically onto the side of the cake, making sure they touch the bottom, until they completely cover the sides of the cake.
• Add the raspberries and voila! It's done!

Chocolate and raspberry occasion cake! 

Close up

This cake is clearly a showstopper and perfect for any large family occasion. The soft and moist texture of the cake matches perfectly with the creamy buttercream, crunchy chocolate fingers and sharp raspberries. The whole bite just dances about on your tongue, but is very filling! A slice with 2-3 chocolate fingers is plenty.
Making the cake itself was a breeze, but the decorating did pose a bit of a problem because I wanted it to look perfect. My advice is to just go for it and go with your instincts. Don't be nervous about putting the first chocolate finger on, or tipping on the raspberries! It will be fine. Another tip I would give is that you should only make this cake if it's going to get eaten on the day or even the day after, but no longer, as the raspberries will spoil.

This isn't the only way that you can decorate the cake! For an Easter theme you can use mini eggs instead of raspberries, and you don't always have to use the same type of chocolate fingers. You can alternate between white and milk chocolate fingers or even chocolate flakes and maltesar bunnies for an added dimension to the decoration and taste! At Christmas you could use any round chocolates such as Lindor or Ferrero Rocher or even dried cranberries if you're feeling adventurous. Despite the decoration being pressurised (mainly by myself), this cake is a lot easier to produce than it looks! Let me know if you make one and link me to it under this post!