I was planning to surprise my mom with a chocolate extravaganza for her birthday, complete with homemade cake, chocolate truffles, and fresh strawberries. However, she surprised me first by indulging in a pre-made cheesecake from Cake Box. While the store-bought cake was undeniably delicious and beautifully decorated, I still had all the ingredients for Mary Berry’s chocolate birthday cake ready to go. So, I decided to bake it anyway!
Here’s how to make Mary Berry’s chocolate birthday cake – and don’t forget the chocolate truffles!
Ingredients:
*
For the cake:
* 100g baking spread or soft butter, plus extra for greasing
* 50g cocoa powder
* Six tablespoons boiling water
* Four eggs
* 175g self-raising flour
* One teaspoon baking powder
* 250g caster sugar
*
For the ganache:
* 300ml pouring double cream
* 300g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
* Three tablespoons apricot jam
*
For the decoration:
* Five white chocolate truffle balls
* Three large strawberries, halved, green stalk left attached
* 25g dark chocolate, melted
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/gas four). Grease two 20cm sandwich tins and line with baking paper.
2. Combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a large bowl and mix well to form a paste.
3. Add the remaining cake ingredients and whisk until the mixture is smooth and a consistent chocolate color.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins.
5. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is well-risen, shrinking away from the sides of the tin and feeling springy to the touch.
6. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then carefully remove them and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
7. While the cakes are cooling, prepare the ganache. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and heat until piping hot. Remove from the heat, add the broken chocolate pieces, and stir until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool at room temperature until it’s almost set.
8. Spread the tops of each cake with apricot jam. Sandwich the cakes together with a third of the ganache. Then, spread another third of the ganache on top, creating beautiful swirls.
9. Spoon some chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a rose nozzle. Pipe large rosettes in one corner of the cake.
10. Arrange the truffle balls on top of the rosettes and decorate with the halved strawberries.
11. Drizzle the melted chocolate in a zig-zag design over the truffles using a teaspoon or a small piping bag.
Although I wasn’t particularly motivated to decorate the cake, it tasted absolutely wonderful! This recipe is incredibly simple, perfect for those who want to whip up a delicious chocolate cake without spending hours in the kitchen.
