Chocolate cake with amaretto cream

Very chocolatey, a little brownie- like, but not too heavy cake with vanilla and amaretto cream.  Decorated with chocolate macaroons and raspberries makes a perfect birthday gateaux or cake for any occasion.

If you are going to make the chocolate decoration around the edges, it is best to leave it in the fridge over night to set before serving.


Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarb. of soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (mixed with 1/2 cup water)
• 50g cocoa powder (dissolved in 1/2 cup lukewarm water)
• 2 eggs
• 115g soft, unsalted butter
• 160g caster sugar
• 150g dark muscovado sugar

For the cream:

• about 350ml double cream 
• 2-3 tbsp icing sugar
• 3 tbsp Amaretto 
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla pod

To decorate:

• raspberries (about 150g)
• macaroons (made from THIS recipe, you can make from half the ingredients, it will be more than enough) you can sprinkle those with edible glitter if you like- I used silver
• handful of toasted, flaked almonds
• 130g dark chocolate (to make the chocolate 'wall' around the cake) + 7cm x 26cm acetate foil (roughly, you will then need to measure your cake to know how much exactly to use)

Combine the buttermilk with water and set aside.  

Dissolve the cocoa powder in warm water and leave to cool.

Beat the butter until pale and fluffy, then add both sugars and mix well. 

Add the eggs and whisk, then add cocoa powder (dissolved in water) and keep whisking until smooth.

In a bowl combine flour, salt and bicarb. of soda, then mix a third of it into the cake mixture.  

Add a third of buttermilk (and water), then a third of flour, then buttermilk etc. until all ingredients are combined together, do not over mix the batter.

Divide the mixture into two lined 22-23cm sandwich tins and bake in a pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes at 180C.  The cake is ready when skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  

Take out the oven ale leave to cool for 10-15 minutes, then take out the tins and place on a cooling rack.

To make the icing whisk double cream and when it starts holding peaks add the sugar, vanilla and amaretto.  

When the cake is cooled completely, spread 3/4 of the cream on the base of the cake (it should go right to the edges as it will help the chocolate stick to the cake later on) and cover.  Spread remaining cream over the top.  

Measure your cake to make sure how much acetate foil you need to use for the chocolate decoration. If the foil it too long and one end covers the other, you won't be able to take the plastic off, so it should be just about long enough to go all the way around the cake.  Melt the chocolate and spread a thick layer onto the acetate stripe, then stick to the edges of the cake, it should go right from the bottom and be about 2-3cm higher than the cake.  Place in the fridge  over night to set.

Before serving remove the acetate from around the cake,  you need to do it carefully, not to break the chocolate.  Decorate with raspberries, almond flakes and macaroons.

Enjoy!