Do you love chocolate cake or know someone who does? Need a special celebration cake? Then this chocolate celebration cake has to be the perfect answer. It's a seriously good chocolate cake even if I say so myself. It has a lot of chocolate in it though, so not a cake for everyday eating, but ideal for when you want to push the boat out and really spoil yourself or someone special. Rich, dark, creamy, encased in a decorated dark chocolate collar with a hidden hazelnut cake layer in the middle. Quite simply chocolate heaven!
A Modern Make Over
I made this cake as part of my Great Blogger Bake Off final show stopper. I wanted something that would impress and I think it does that. I based the recipe on one I wrote for my What's cooking Chocolate cookbook some years ago. I haven't made it very often mainly because it is so decadent. But, once in a while, I can't resist!
To give it a modern twist I substituted the plain chocolate collar with a pretty decorated one, which I made by using a chocolate transfer sheet. If you haven't come across one, check out specialist cake decorating shops and on line. They consist of acetate sheets with a design printed on them, made from coloured cocoa butter. They are simple enough to use and give a really professional finish. As well as for cakes, you can use them to decorate desserts or to add a professional touch to your homemade chocolates. If you can't find them you can use plain food grade acetate sheets for a simple plain collar. Equally, you could use baking parchment as I did in the book but that won't give you the lovely shine. You could, of course, leave it off all together. It is important when making the collar to temper your chocolate.
You can read about tempering chocolate here. If you don't, the finish will be dull and the chocolate will not have the same snap.
Rich and dark or creamy
I have used a good quality plain chocolate with a cocoa solid content of 70% to make and decorate the cake. It's expensive but this is a chocolate celebration cake! If you prefer your chocolate not to be quite so dark and rich you could use a plain chocolate with a lower cocoa solid content. Bournville, for example, has around 52% cocoa solids. Believe me, with this much chocolate it will still taste good! You could even use milk chocolate for the ganache and or collar but I would still use dark chocolate in the cake itself.
Chocolate Celebration Cake
Ingredients
for the chocolate cake
- 200 g butter
- 200 g golden caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 50 g dark chocolate melted
for the hazelnut cake
- 100 g butter
- 100 g golden caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 100 g self-raising flour
- 50 g chopped toasted hazelnuts
for the ganache
- 500 g plain chocolate
- 600 ml double cream
to finish
- about 175g plain chocolate tempered
- chocolate transfer sheet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ /160℃ fan/gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 20cm deep springform cake tin and a 20cm sandwich tin.
To make the chocolate cake.
- Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, add the cocoa powder with the last egg. Sift in the flour and fold in, then fold in the melted chocolate.
- Pour into the spring form tin, level top, then make a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour or until springy to the touch.
Make the hazelnut cake.
- Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour and fold in, along with the chopped hazelnuts.
- Pour into the sandwich tin and spread level. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until springy to the touch.
- When the cakes are cooked allow to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Split the chocolate cake into two layers.
To make the ganache.
- Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until almost boiling, then pour onto the chocolate, stirring. Continue to stir until all the chocolate has melted and combined with the cream.
- Whisk until the ganache is cool and thick enough to pipe.
To assemble the cake.
- Use about three-quarters of the ganache to sandwich the two chocolate cakes together with the hazelnut cake in between. Spread ganache over the side of the cake and transfer the cake to a baking sheet or tray.
- Spoon the remaining ganache into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe rosettes to completely cover the top of the cake.
To complete.
- Cut the transfer sheets into strips and long enough to go around the cakes. Temper the chocolate by melting about ⅔ in a bowl slowly over a pan of gently simmering water. remove from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate. Stir until melted. (Follow the link in post for more details on how to temper chocolate.)
- Spread the chocolate over the transfer sheets going right up to the edges, then carefully lift up and place around the edge of the cake. Allow the chocolate to set.
- Carefully remove the transfer sheets and carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate.
Step by step to assembling the Chocolate Celebration Cake
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- Break the chocolate into small pieces. Heat the cream until almost boiling and pour over the chocolate.
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- Stir well until the chocolate melts and combines with the cream.
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- Whisk until cool.
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- Continue whisking until thick enough to pipe.
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- Spread or pipe over the sponge layers sandwiching the hazelnut cake in the middle.
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- Spread ganache over the sides of the cake.
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- Cut the transfer sheets into strips high enough to cover the sides of the cake and long enough to wrap around the cake. You will probably need to do this in two strips.
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- Make sure you go right up to the edges of the sheet.
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- Carefully place around the cake.
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- Allow the chocolate to set fully before carefully removing the transfer sheets.
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- Enjoy!
More Great British Bake Off Inspired Bakes Made Easy
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- Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
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- Sweetheart biscuits
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- Chocolate meringue crown
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- Coconut and Lime Drizzle Cake
I'm linking up to #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
This looks so lovely. I especially love the beautiful chocolate collar! Eb x
Jacqui Bellefontaine
Thanks Eb
Janice
Oh, that's such a GBBO style showstopper. It looks delicious.
Cat | Curly's Cooking
This looks fantastic! Chocolate and hazelnuts are my favourite flavour combo and this cake looks really special.
Jacqueline A Bellefontaine
Thank you, Cat. It certainly fits with this week GBBO bakes.
Supriya Kuttty
This is absolutely fabulous!!! I Love easy cakes that look so chocolaty and sooo stunning and this one fits the bill perfectly. Loved it completely. I will try my hands on it asap for sure. My friends would definitely love it. Thanks for sharing this awesome cake recipe with all of us. Looking forward to more amazing recipes like this. Best wishes and Regards.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Thank you for your kind words. I would love to know how you get on making it.
Vivabop
I couldn't resist pinning this to our Chocolate Heaven board as it looks utterly irresistable. The chocolate transfer decorative detailing gives such an elegant finishing touch but to be honest if the cake was within reaching distance, I can't imagine there would be much elegance in how I would be devouring it!! It looks luscious and delicious and thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Jacqueline Bellefonatine
Thank you for pinning and thank you for your lovely comments. You can never have you much chocolate:)
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com
Is it very wrong that I feel like I want to dive head first into this chocolate cake? I am usually very good at resisting cake, but this one...well, let's just say it's a very good thing this cake is not in the same room as me! Xx
Jacqueline Bellefonatine
I wish it wasn't in the same room as me:) Far too hard to resist.
Jenny Paulin
such an impressive cake. I love the chocolate collar around it and that hazelnut centre really gives it such a regal look inside. Almost a golden colour. I bet it tasted divine! x
Jacqueline Bellefonatine
Thank you. I really think the hazelnut layer was a good tweak on an old recipe. and nice to get a chance to use chocolate transfer sheets. Simple but really impressive.