One Big Chocolate Challenge!

I mistakenly suggested to my chocolate cake loving mother that I have a go at making the whipped chocolate layer cake from last years bake off book. I then said for her to have a look through the book to see if there was anything else she would prefer. Stupid really, as she was never going to get past the chocolate cake.

The reason I tried to distract her from this one after offering to have a go was that it looked awfully complicated. I should really learn to read things through before I offer to do these things. In every way this was going to be a challenged. It involved everything I had never done before - chocolate sponge, chocolate ganache, meringue and layers. It also involved making the cake look reasonably presentable. Presentation has never been my strong point. I am a baker not a decorator.

 The first part went surprisingly well despite my constant havering. The chocolate sponge was slightly more difficult than I planned. Or it could have just been the stress of getting this right as it involved a lot of ingredients. Plus, I didn't want to waste chocolate. However, the three sponges turned out and I think would have tasted good on their own.

The whipped chocolate filling was complicated but I discovered the key for this and that was to be organised. I know, I am an organising freak but in baking I usually just pull things out when I need it (apart from butter, learned that the hard way - literally). With this there was too much going on all at once that I had everything measured out and ready. I had to make a chocolate ganache. Then I had to make meringue and then add butter to that before finally adding the ganache. My first attempt at ganache was not the best and had it not been for the fact that it was getting whipped in with the rest of the mixture I probably would have binned it. So that will require practise in the future.

I think it turned out a success on the whole. I managed the three layers. It looked okay as a whole. Plus it tasted good (if a little rich for me). My mum loved it as did my wee granny. In fact my we gran said I should go on that baking tv show, ha ha. Well, I said that during my time off I wanted to challenge myself a bit with the baking and I think I have certainly done that. Will be a while before I make this again (sorry mum although for you I would do it).