Desserts Father's Day Cake - Ombre Cake

Serves : 20

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes plus cooling

Father's Day Sweets Cake

Ingredients

Ingredients for cake - 

  • 300g butter, softened
  • 300g soft light brown sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 260g self-raising flour
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 40g cocoa powder, sifted
  • 2 tbsp cold black coffee
  • 6 tbsp semi skimmed milk

Ingredients for decoration –

  • 125g butter, softened
  • 250g icing sugar, sifted
  • 60g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 200g selection chocolates – rolos, green M+M’s, aero mint bubbles, minstrels, maltesers, white chocolate buttons, crunchie rocks

Nutrition

Calories columnFat columnSaturates columnSugars columnSalt column
Calories
411 per serving
20% %GDA
Fat
23g per serving
33% %GDA
Saturates
14g per serving
70% %GDA
Sugars
34g per serving
38% %GDA
Salt
0.60g per serving
10% %GDA

Method

 

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas mark 5. Grease and line the base of 3 x 20cm diameter cake tins.

  2. Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for at least 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Crack the eggs in one at a time, beating between each addition.

  3. Divide the mixture into three (about 290g each) and scoop one third out into a separate bowl, then a second third into a third bowl.

  4. Add 100g of the self-raising flour to the first bowl along with the vanilla extract and 2 tbsp milk and beat until smooth – here’s the vanilla layer.

  5. To the second bowl, add 10g cocoa powder, 90g self-raising flour and the cold black coffee, then beat until smooth – here’s the mocha layer.

  6. To the last bowl, add 30g cocoa powder and 70g self-raising flour and the last 4 tbsp milk then beat until smooth – here’s the chocolate layer.

  7. Spoon each batter into a separate cake tin and smooth the top over. Place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes until risen and firm to the touch. The cakes should have just shrunk back from the sides of the cake tins.

  8. Remove and allow to cool in the tin for 30 minutes then decant, remove the paper and cool totally on a wire rack.

  9. Meanwhile, make the topping. Place the dark chocolate into a bowl set on top of a pan of simmering water and leave until melted.

  10. Remove from the heat, stir briefly then set aside until nearly cool while you make the buttercream.

  11. Tip the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until totally smooth and spreadable.

  12. Place the chocolate cake onto a serving plate and top with one third of the buttercream, smoothing to the edges.

  13. Lay the mocha cake onto it, and top with another third of the buttercream, then finally place the vanilla cake on top. Spread with the last of the buttercream, smoothing it flat. Do not cover the sides of the cakes.

  14. Carefully spoon the just melted chocolate over the top of the cake, allowing it to just dribble down the sides but not too much. The chocolate needs to be cool enough to not melt the buttercream, so leave it until cool to touch.

  15. Decorate with whatever chocolates you fancy.