MY SIGNATURE SPLATTER CAKE
Serves 14 Takes around 1½ hours, plus cooling, chilling/freezing and setting
INGREDIENTS For the sponge
• 100g/4oz cocoa powder • 1 tsp coffee granules • 50ml/2fl oz hot water • 450g/1lb golden caster sugar • 450g/1lb unsalted butter, softened • 8 eggs • 450g/1lb self-raising flour • 2 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp fine sea salt
For the buttercream • 1 batch vanilla buttercream (see recipe right) For the splatters
• 200g/7oz white chocolate, chopped • 300ml/11fl oz double cream • 5 different gel or paste food colourings
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line 3 x 20cm/8in round cake tins with baking parchment.
2. Add the cocoa powder, coffee granules and hot water to a small bowl and whisk to a smooth paste.
3. Beat the sugar and butter together until lighter in colour.
Next, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate and coffee mix, then sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, and fold through.
4. Divide among the prepared tins and bake for 40-45 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. When the cakes are cool, level them with a knife to make them easier to stack, then slice each cake in half horizontally to give you 6 layers in total.
6. Spread some buttercream onto 5 of the cakes and stack them, putting the plain layer on top.
7. Crumb-coat the cake with more buttercream and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.
8. For the chocolate splatters, put the chocolate in a bowl and heat the cream in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until just below boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave to stand for 2 minutes, then stir to a smooth ganache.
9. Divide the ganache among 5 bowls and colour each one a different shade with food colouring (go as cute and pastel or as bold and vibrant as you like), then allow to cool to room temperature.
10. Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream, giving it a smooth, sharp finish, then refrigerate again until the buttercream hardens – around 20-30 minutes. This will give you a great canvas for your artistic splatters.
11. Now to have fun! Use a teaspoon to flick the coloured ganache all over the cake (if it’s a bit thick, you can blast it in the microwave at 10-second intervals to loosen it).
12. Let the ganache set on the cake for 15 minutes before serving.