Vanilla and Double Chocolate Chess Cake

Originally from 'The Great British Bake Off: How to turn everyday bakes into showstoppers' by Linda Collister, this cake is a great twist to the marble cake. Originally three layers, I compressed it down to two, and it was still quite tall. It is essential though, that you have two relatively large piping bags with 1.5cm tubes, otherwise you will not get the chessboard effect.

Ingredients

The Sponge

233g Butter,Softened

233g Caster Sugar

233g Self-Raising Flour

40ml Milk

                             33g Cocoa Powder

4 Large Eggs, Beaten

2/3 tsp Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

White Chocolate Ganache

87g White Chocolate, finely chopped

63ml Whipping Cream

25g Unsalted Butter

Dark Chocolate Ganache

150g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids), finely chopped

150ml Whipping Cream

To Finish

A slab of white chocolate (not much will be used)

8 Boozy Chocolate Truffles (click link for recipe)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Grease 2 x 20.5 sandwich tins, and line the bases with baking paper. Put the butter into a large mixing bowl, and beat with a free standing mixer until very creamy. Gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla. Keep beating (scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time) until the mixture is very pale and fluffy in texture.

2. Gradually add the eggs, a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 tablespoon of the flour with each of the last 2 portions of egg to prevent curdling.

3. Sift the remaining flour and the salt into the bowl, and gently fold in using a large metal spoon until thoroughly combined. Transfer half of the mixture into another large bowl.

4. Sift the cocoa into one bowl, and add half of the milk; fold in until completely blended. Fold the rest of the milk into the second bowl of mix. Fit two piping bags with 1.5cm plain tubes, and place each in two large glasses, folding the top of the piping bags over the rim of the glasses.

5. Fill the piping bags 2/3 of the way up, one with the vanilla mix, and one with the chocolate mix. Take one sandwich tin, and pipe a chocolate ring around the inside edge. Then pipe a vanilla ring inside the chocolate ring. Repeat with alternate piping bags until the tin is filled. In the next tin, start with the vanilla mix on the inside edge, and again, alternate piping bags until the tin is full. Make sure all of the rings are even the whole way round before baking.

6. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until browned/ a skewer will come out clean. Run a knife around the inside of each tin, and turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely before icing.

7. For either/both ganaches, put the chocolate (and butter for the white chocolate ganache)into a heatproof bowl. Heat up the corresponding quantity of cream until right before it starts boiling, and pour over the chocolate. Slowly stir with a spoon until all the chocolate has melted, and leave in the fridge to set.

8. Once the ganaches have become much thicker, but still spreadable and glossy, take them out of the fridge and evenly spread one cake, browned side uppermost, with the white chocolate ganache, and place the other cake on top. Wipe away any trickling ganache. Next, cover the top and sides of the cake with the dark chocolate ganache, scooping away any excess. If the ganache has set too much that you cant spread it properly, hold a palette knife under hot water, dry, and then use to spread the ganache. Leave to set.

9. Take the block of white chocolate, and scrape a large knife across it, to create a bunch curls or shavings. Then take a small round cookie cutter and place in the middle of your cake. Place the chocolate curls in the ring, and lift the ring away, letting the curls cascade down. Place the truffles around the edges, and you are finished! Consume within 4 days.

                       

Simple Boozy Chocolate Truffles

Perfect as decorations for cakes, gifts, or an indulgent dessert, these are great! For a non-adult version, remove the Cognac (they still taste as good). Can be quite tricky to get the ganache right, but the rest is simple. Makes approx. 18 (depends on how big you want them)

Ingredients

100g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids Minimum)

100ml Whipping Cream

2tbsp Cognac

Cocoa Powder

Method

1. Make sure the chocolate is at room temperature, then chop the chocolate into very small pieces, and place into a heatproof bowl.

2. Heat up the cream in a saucepan right its about to boil, and pour over the chocolate. Stir a little (but not too much, or it will separate) until the chocolate is completely melted. Be patient with this, as it might take a while (if the mix goes cold and the chocolate still hasn't melted, pour a few centimeters of very hot water into a larger heatproof bowl, and place the smaller one inside for a bit).

3. Stir in the cognac, and place the bowl in the fridge. Leave to set until the consistency resembles a thick chocolate mousse.

4. Cover a large chopping board with a thin layer of cocoa powder, and take a small scoop of the chocolate mix, and roll into a ball in your hands. Next, roll it in the cocoa powder until completely covered, then place on a dish

5. Repeat until all the mix is used up. Store in the fridge and enjoy :)

Double Chocolate Gateau with Lime Cream and Chocolate Ganache

This recipe is originally by Gordon Ramsey found in the BBC Good Food magazine (which my mum has old copies of stashed away - my goldmine), which I have altered in certain places such as the topping. My recipe for the chocolate curls was found in my trusty Chocolate Bible by Christine McFadden and Christine France. For a teenager like myself it takes a lot of stress - you may have to try out the ganache a few times as it separates easily. Keep clear of your mother for this one - the mess caused mine a bit of a head ache.

Ingredients:

120g Dark Chocolate

5 Eggs, Separated

220g Caster Sugar

200g Butter, Softened

90g Plain Flour, Sifted

Filling:

284ml Pot of Double Cream

200g Pot of Half Fat Creme Fraiche

Grated Zest of 2 Limes

Ganache:

150g Dark Chocolate

142ml Pot of Double Cream

25g Grated Dark and White Chocolate

Curls:

100g Dark Chocolate

4tsp White Vegetable Fat (Margarine)

Recipe:

1. Grease and dust a 24cm cake tin. Heat oven to 160C/gas 3. Melt 120g dark chocolate. Cool for 5 mins. Beat in yolks. In a bowl, beat the butter and 100g sugar until soft and creamy. Mix in the melted chocolate and yolks.

2. Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks then beat in remaining 120g of sugar in 3 batches and continue whisking until stiff. Beat a third of the meringue into the chocolate mix. Then gently fold in alternate spoonfulls of flour and remaining meringue.

3. Spoon into tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. Test center with metal skewer, it should come out clean. Remove, cool for 10 minutes, before turning it out of the tin. When cooled completely, cut in half carefully with large serrated knife.

4. To make filling: in a bowl beat the double cream until thickened, then mix in the creme fraiche and zest. 

5. Spread one half of the cake with all the zesty cream and sandwich together with the other half.

6. To make the ganache icing: break up the chocolate into a pan and add the double cream. Melt over the lowest heat, stir continuously until smooth. Then cool and pour over cake. 

7. Spread icing evenly over the top of the cake and around the sides using a palette knife. While the icing sets, sprinkle the grated chocolate on top and around the sides. 

8. Making the curls: Melt 100g of chocolate with 4 tsps of white vegetable fat and pour into a lined ramekin. Put in fridge to set.

9. Remove chocolate from ramekin and use a swivel-bladed peeler to produce short, chunky curls.

10. Once the icing has set, place a large ring cutter in the center of the cake and fill with chocolate curls. Carefully remove the ring and allow the curls to cascade gently out.