A Perfect Pantry

GANACHE

INGREDIENTS

• 500g dark chocolate buttons
• 500ml of double cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the cream in a saucepan and bring to boil. Once it starts to bubble, remove from the heat.
2. Add chocolate to the heated cream and allow to sit for 3 minutes, then stir. Mix until well combined.
3. Allow to cool to room temperature before pouring over the cake.

CAKE

INGREDIENTS

• 185g butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 x eggs
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat a fan forced oven to 170°C and line square baking tin with canola oil spray and baking paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the mixing bowl and cream until pale in colour. Add eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Add flour, baking soda, unsweetened cocoa and milk into the mixing bowl and fold on a low speed until combined. Do not overbeat.  
3. Pour the mixture into prepared pan. Place into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or when an inserted skewer can be removed cleanly. Allow to cook on cake rack.

 

CHOCOLATE SOIL

INGREDIENTS

• 100gm caster sugar
• 75gm chopped dark chocolate

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan, heat  sugar with 20ml water and bring up to a boil.
2. When the sugar starts to turn golden brown, add the chocolate and stir with a metal whisk.
3. Once well combined pour out onto a baking tray covered with baking paper. Allow to cool.

MOSS

INGREDIENTS

• 6 x Nice biscuits crushed
• Green food colouring

DIRECTIONS

1. Place biscuits in a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add a few drops of green food colouring and rub the crumbs in the bag your fingers. Add more food colouring until you achieve your desired colour.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

1. To assemble the cake, lay the chocolate sponge on a wire rack with another tray underneath. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake, allowing it to run evenly down the sides. Don’t touch with a spatula or pallet knife:  this will ruin the smooth effect you get from just pouring the ganache over the sponge cake. Allow to set for a few minutes. Carefully transfer the cake using t scraper or long pallet knife to lift it safely to a serving cake board / plate.
2. To decorate the top of the cake choose different types of biscuits for the tombstones. White chocolate TimTams are good as well as Belvita breakfast biscuits. Using icing pens write on the biscuits. Carefully push the tombstones into the cake, if they are a little hard to get in make a small incision with your knife and ease them in.
3. Sprinkle chocolate soil and green moss around the cake and on the tombstones. 

This recipe was developed using a Kambrook Appliance.

APPLIANCES

• Powermix Planetary Bench Mixer