Michael and Rachel's

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Bonfire Cake

Updated: 25 Apr 2015

Ingredients

  • 50g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 250g butter, room temp
  • 250g light muscovado sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 100g cocoa powder
  • 250g plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 large eggs
  • 250ml milk
  • 50g chocolate chips
  • Malted chocolate buttercream
  • 454g butter, room temp
  • 500g icing sugar
  • 75g Horlicks powder
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla
  • Pinch salt
  • 250g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 120ml whipping cream
  • Marshmallow buttercream
  • 32 large white marshmallows
  • 125g icing sugar
  • 227g butter
  • ½ tsp vanilla

Method

  1. Grease and line two 20cm cake tins. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar with the salt until light and fluffy. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time and beat until well combined.
  3. Sift together the cocoa, flour, and baking powder. Fold in half the dry ingredients, then the melted chocolate, then the rest of the dry ingredients and enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency (about 175ml). Then add the chocolate chips and divide between the two tins.
  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until firm in the centre. Allow to cool completely.
  5. For the malted chocolate buttercream, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat until combined. Add the malt powder, vanilla, and salt, and beat until combined. Add the chocolate and beat for about two minutes; then finally add the whipping cream and beat on high speed for a minute.
  6. For the marshmallow buttercream, toast the marshmallows briefly under a hot grill. You want them (ideally) nice and golden on top, but still solid in the middle. If you can, turn them over and toast the other side. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Beat together the butter and icing sugar, then add the vanilla and the toasted marshmallows. Mix until well combined. If the marshmallows melt the butter, add extra icing sugar and refrigerate.
  7. To assemble the cake: slice each layer in half. Then place the first layer on the cake board and spread evenly with marshmallow frosting. Add the next layer and ice with malted chocolate frosting. Add the next layer; top with marshmallow. Add the final layer and frost the outside of the cake with a thin layer of malted chocolate frosting (crumb coat). Put in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up if necessary, then add more icing to achieve a smooth finish. Decorate with maltesers and / or marshmallows.