Black & White

I promised some time back to post the cake I made for my mil's birthday. It is pretty simple. As usual, I try to find something relatively easy to do, looks good and tastes good. The only thing I am not happy about is that I like my cakes to have a softer texture when cold. But for this recipe, with the amount of butter in it, when the cake has been refrigerated, it will harden slightly. So you may say, take it out to defrost first....but the white chocolate icing will soften....dilemma *sigh* So if any of you have any solutions, pls let me know.

Black & White Cake

Prep Time: 1h 30min (45 min each for cake and icing)

Baking Time: about 45min

Cooling Time: about 2h

Serves 8pax

Chocolate Cake

5 eggs

225 g caster sugar ( i used fine brown sugar)

200 g self raising flour

50 g cocoa powder

250 g butter, softened at room temperature

Pre-heat the oven at 170C.

Cream the sugar and butter together until the mix turns pale in colour.

Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, ensuring the egg is well mixed before beating in the next egg.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture, a little each time (I go by batches of 50g) and fold into the mixture till all flour has been incorporated well.

Pour into a pre-lined and greased 8inch round baking tin and bake for about 45min or till a skewer (I use a butter knife) inserted comes out clean.

Let the cake sit in the tin for about 30min before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

White Chocolate Frosting

250g white chocolate, chopped into small pieces

70 g butter, slightly softened

200ml whipping cream

Melt the white chocolate and butter in a bowl sitting on top of simmering water.

In a separate bowl, whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks form and it can hold its shape.

Fold the cream into the chocolate mixture until it thickens.

Put it in the fridge to cool and let it harden slightly until it is manageable for spreading on the cake. Stir the mixture every 10min as it hardens.

To ice the cake, place the cake on a cake board or one of those cake stand that swivels. Using one hand to hold the cake base (with a little of the base jutting out of the edge of the table) and rotating it, with the other hand, use a spatula to form a swirling peak.