Chocolate Fudge Cake with Chocolate Coffee Buttercream

  

Happy 10th birthday to my son Joey Santiago Rodda.  I wouldn't want to be any where else other than eating Chocolate Fudge Cake with you, your brother and your Dad today.


Chocolate Fudge Cake with Chocolate Coffee Buttercream
from Katie Quinn-Davies' What Katie Ate

For the Cake:
6 eggs
220g caster sugar
200g dark chocolate melted, plus an extra 150g for the chocolate shards to decorate
75g plain flour flour
4 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

For the Chocolate Coffee Buttercream:
300g unsalted butter, softened
155g icing sugar, sifted
170g dark chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping teaspoon instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water

Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line the base and sides of two 20cm springform pans.

Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the eggs for about 5 minutes on medium speed until pale and frothy. Add the caster sugar and continue to whisk until thick.

Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the flour and sifted cocoa powder, followed by the melted chocolate. Mix gently until everything is combined.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes then remove from tins and trasfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Chocolate Coffee Buttercream:
Beat the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.

In a small bowl, mix the coffee and vanilla with the melted chocolate.

Add this to the butter and sugar mixture, beating until glossy and smooth.

Assemble the Cake:
Put one cake on a cake stand and, using a spatula, spread a dollop of the buttercream on top of it and out  towards the edges. Place the second cake on top and ice the top and sides of the cake. Using a sharp knife, carefully scrape shavings from the remaining chocolate and scatter all over the cake.

Serve with softly whipped cream.