Chocolate and coffee gateau with irish cream and raspberries

I made this gateau for my mum's birthday and it was devoured so quickly I barely had enough time to take pictures! The cake is very chocolatey, layered with coffee cream, Baileys cream and covered with chocolate.  It goes very well with sharp raspberries, but you can use any fruit you like.


Ingredients:

For the sponge:

• 1 1/4 cup plain flour
• 3/4 tsp bicarb. of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 180g unsalted butter
• 80g dark chocolate
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 3/4 cup soured cream
• pinch of salt

For the cream:

• 300ml double cream
• 450g mascarpone cheese
• 2-3 tsp coffee dissolved in a tablespoon of boiling water
• 3-4 tbsp icing sugar
• 1/4 cup Baileys (or other irish cream)

To decorate:

• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp soured cream
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 60g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp gelatine

Additionally:

• grated chocolate
• sugar flowers (find 'how to make sugar paste daisies here)
• raspberries and blueberries

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add chopped dark chocolate and leave to melt.  Stir to combine. Add cocoa powder and mix, set aside to cool a little. 

Beat the eggs with sugar, until pale and fluff, add a pinch of salt and the chocolate-butter mixture and stir until smooth. 

Add soured cream, plain flour, bicarb. of soda and baking powder and mix until just combined. 

Divide the mixture into three, lined 20cm tins and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170C for about 15 minutes.

Take the cakes out the oven and leave to cool a little, then take out the tins and leave until cooled completely.  

To make the cream beat mascarpone with double cream, then add icing sugar.  Divide the mixture into two: 1/3 of the mixture mix with coffee dissolved in boiling water, remaining 2/3 mix with Baileys.

Place the first layer of the cake on a serving plate and spread the coffee cream on top. Cover with the second cake layer and spread over the 2/3 of the Baileys cream, cover with the final cake layer.

Spread remaining cream around the sides of the cake.

To make the chocolate coating dissolve gelatine in a little bit of boiling water (2-3tbsp).  Place sugar, soured cream, cocoa powder and butter in a small saucepan and warm until the mixture is well combined and hot, add dissolved gelatine and stir.  

Set aside until the mixture has thickened a little, then pour over the cake.  

Sprinkle grated chocolate around the sides of the cake, decorate with raspberries and sugar flowers.

Enjoy!