Chocolate Birthday Cake Recipe
This is the chocolate birthday cake recipe I make every year for my wife; the list of ingredients is long, but give it a try. Also, if you look at the list you will see that this is not exactly a low-calorie cake: Nutella, chocolate, mascarpone. Eat it sensibly! The more the people you invite the smaller the portions, for everyone.
With my wife it is always a success and she says this is one of the best chocolate birthday cakes she has ever had.
Here we go with the ingredients for six people:
For the sponge:
255gr (9 oz) flour, sifted
255gr (9 oz) sugar
5 eggs
2 tbsp bitter cocoa powder
175ml (6 fl oz) sunflower oil
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp baking powder
For the chocolate syrup to wet the sponge
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 small glass of maraschino (a cherry flavoured liqueur)
For the mousse:
285gr (10 oz) nutella
255gr (9 oz) mascarpone cheese
200ml (7 fl oz) double cream
For the icing:
150ml (5 fl oz) double cream
255gr (9 oz) dark chocolate
White chocolate to garnish
First let’s prepare the sponge.
In a bowl add the eggs, the salt and the sugar. Beat them with an electric mixer for at least 15 minutes, until you get a creamy, smooth and bubbly mix. The yellow of the egg will have to be very pale, almost white.
Add the flour, one tablespoon at the time, then the oil, the cocoa powder, and the baking powder, and keep on mixing. As you add more flour, the mix will be harder to work, so put the electric mixer aside and use a wooden spoon. Preheat the oven at 180ºC (356ºF). Grease a loose-bottomed cake tin and dust it with flour. Pour the mix in the tin and level it with a spatula. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Two tips for the best sponge. First: don’t open the oven for the first 30-35 minutes, then check if it’s baked with a toothpick. Second: once it’s baked, turn off the oven and leave it there for ten minutes before taking it out.
In the meantime prepare the chocolate syrup. In a small pan, mix the cocoa the maraschino and the sugar in 2 tbsp of water. Put on a very low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. It should be only lukewarm by then.
Now for the chocolate mousse. Whip the cream and mix it with Nutella, and mascaporne. Work it with a wooden spoon until soft.
Cut the sponge into two discs, and spread the mousse all over the top of the first disc, then cover with the second one.
Prepare the icing by melting the dark chocolate in the cream, then gently pour it on the cake (both top and sides), making sure it is levelled. When the icing has solidified, melt the white chocolate and use it to decorate.
Here you have my happy birthday chocolate cake recipe. It is maybe a little elaborated, but also foolproof. If you love chocolate but you want to minimize the hassle, then try a chocolate fountain instead
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