A classy classic
As another family birthday has been and gone, it was another great opportunity for me to put together a showstopping bake that everyone would love.
A couple of months back I made a batch of chocolate chip cupcakes, but stupidly forgot to photograph them, so I decided that this was a great opportunity to recreate those on a larger scale!
Chocolate chip is a great classic, which is sure to be a winner with everyone at a party. The classic vanilla sponge, paired with the little bursts of chocolate is a great flavour. And why not add a few rumbled biscuits into the filling, like I did, to add another great texture to go along with that silky smooth buttercream, and dripping chocolate.
P.s. If you have more time than I did for this bake you could even make your own mini cookies to decorate using my cookie recipe!
Chocolate Chip dripping cake
Prep time: 1.5 hours (includes decoration)Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 18-20 people
Ingredients:
For the cakes:- 450g softened butter
- 450g caster sugar
- 9 free range eggs
- 450g self-raising flour
- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g chocolate chips
For the buttercream:
- 250g softened butter
- 500g icing sugar
- 2 tsp milk
- 100g crushed chocolate chip cookies (for the filling and round the edge)
- 100g milk chocolate (for the dripping decoration)
Method:
Firstly, preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius, and line three 6" cake tins with baking parchment.
Next place the softened butter, and caster sugar into a mixer of bowl and mix until they are fully combined and of a creamy consistency.
One at a time add the eggs into the mixture, making sure you mix well after each addition, to incorporate them fully and to add lots of air. This may take a little time, and is a bit of an arm workout if you're doing it manually but keep going! Now add the vanilla extract.
Sift in the self raising flour, and with a metal spoon gently fold it in using a figure of eight action making sure to get right to the bottom. Once the flour is completely incorporated add the chocolate chips and gently fold these into the mixture.
Finally, equally split the mixture into the three prepare tins, and level off with a spatula.
Place the cakes into the oven on the middle shelf, for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes are of a golden colour, and are cooked all the way through. To check they are cooked you can place a skewer into the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked, if it comes out wet pop the cake back in for a couple more minutes.
Once done, place the cakes onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
In the meantime you can make the buttercream. Place the butter into a bowl or mixer and mix for a couple of minutes until it is pale and smooth. Then sift the icing sugar in, a bit at a time, mixing well between each addition.
Add the milk a little at a time until the buttercream is of a creamy smooth consistency, and is soft enough to pipe but still firm.
Prepare a piping bag with a piping nozzle. My go to nozzle is a Wilton 2D which is what I also used for the decorative piping on the top of the cake.
Once the cakes are cooled place the bottom layer onto a cake board, and secure with a small amount of buttercream.
Place about two tablespoons of the buttercream onto the cake and smooth over with a palette knife. Add a third of the crushed biscuits onto the buttercream and spread out evenly, remembering not to go too close to the edge of the cake.
Repeat this step another time, and then placing the last layer on top.
Now its time for the crumb coat! Using your prepared piping bag pipe buttercream around the whole of the outside of the cake and on top until it is covered. Alternatively, you can use a palette knife to place the buttercream on the cake but this is a little trickier.
Next using a clean palette knife at a 90 degree angle drag the knife around the outside of the cake until a thin layer is left on the surface. Smooth off the buttercream on the top in a circular motion. *Using a spinning board makes this much easier!
Leave this to set a little (about 30 minutes to an hour). Then repeat this step with a thicker layer of buttercream until the cake is fully covered and you cant see they layers of cake.
Melt the milk chocolate either in the microwave, or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, and leave to cool. Place in a piping bag, with either a small plain round nozzle or without a nozzle with the end snipped off. Gently pipe a small amount of chocolate around the edge of the cake placing more pressure in the ares you would like it to drip down the side.
Leave the chocolate to set for a little while, either at room temperature or in a fridge to make it quicker. Then with the left over buttercream from earlier pipe small rosettes all around the outside of the cake. You can do this by starting from the outside and working your way upwards in a circular motion.
Finally, place mini cookies on top of some of/ or all of the rosettes, and place the final crushed biscuits around the bottom of the cake.
I hope you enjoyed learning how to make this classic cake, happy baking!
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