Triple Chocolate Fantasy Cake

Lately I have been getting a few more cake orders which I really love as I find them much more of a challenge than cupcakes (though I can't seem to master red velvet.. grrr). This order was for the sister of my friend Emma for her birthday in December. The order was for a chocolate cake and I decided to try and find a recipe in one of my many recipe books that I had not tried before and this cake from the Leon: Baking & Puddings recipe book was the winner.

Triple Chocolate Fantasy Cake

 Serves 12-25
200g vegetable oil
400g light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 free range eggs
125ml natural yoghurt
80g cocoa powder
100ml boiling water
280g plain flour
1 1/5 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Icing
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g icing sugar
4-5 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g cocoa powder

Decoration 
4 tablespoons apricot jam
2 Crunchie bars, crumbled
Edible glitter

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius and grease two 23cm cake tins and line with baking paper.

Whisk together the oil, sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add the yoghurt and mix well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth.

Scrape the cocoa paste into the egg mixture and combine into a smooth batter.
Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and beat into the cake mixture just until incorporated.

Pour equal amounts into the cake tins and bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins.

To make the icing. Beat the butter until fluffy, and then gradually beat in the icing sugar. Add the boiling water and vanilla extract and beat for 3 minutes.

Add the cocoa powder and beat until fluffy.

To assemble, split the cakes into 2 layers. Place the bottom layer on a serving plate and spread it with some of the apricot jam. Cover with a tablespoon of chocolate icing and** follow with another layer of sponge. Repeat with the remaining layers then ice the top and sides with the rest of the icing.

Decorate with crumbled Crunchie bars and edible glitter.
 

**you could also add some of the crushed Crunchie Bar at this point between the layers.

From all reports the cake went down well, my only comment would be that the recipe calls for 2 Crunchie bars which are intended for the top of the cake for decoration. If you have a look at my picture you can see the top is completely covered which only required 1 Crunchie bar. 

 It was until I had finished that I read the tips at the end which say you can also put bits of crumbled Crunchie in between the layers which I would love to do if I make this cake again. Also it would have saved me from munching on the "left over bar" and then feeling slightly ill. I'll never learn. 

Happy Baking x