Simple Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

Raspberry seems to go with everything, and so does chocolate in my mind ;)
So what better way to combine the two then a big sponge cake. I baked this for my nan's birthday, chocolate cake is always the winner in her eyes.

Its simple but delicious and never lasts longer then a day around here.

Ingredients:
For the cake-
-200g unsalted butter
-200g light brown sugar
-3 large eggs, beaten
-2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
-200g self raising flour

For the buttercream-
-250g unsalted butter
-400g icing sugar
-250g milk chocolate, melted
-fresh raspberries

Preheat your oven to 180c and grease and line two sandwich tins with baking paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Gradually add in your eggs.

Sift over the flour and cocoa powder, then fold in gently until all incorporated.
Divide between the two cake tins then place into the oven for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Once baked, leave to cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating.

For the buttercream, beat the butter until it is pale in colour, then gradually add the icing sugar and melted chocolate. You may need to add a splash of milk so its spreading consistency.

To decorate, spread a third of the buttercream onto one layer of the cake, top with raspberries. Add the other layer, then spread on another third of the buttercream.
With the rest of the buttercream, I piped around the edge with a 1M wilton tip then filled the inside with more raspberries, yummy!

Caramel Apple Popcorn Cake

When throwing together random ingredients, sometimes it can go bad, but sometimes it can go reaally reaally good. This is that time.

Moist apple cinnamon cake, filled with a layer of caramel, caramel buttercream, topped with popcorn and drizzled with even more caramel.

Yeah you drizzle that caramel!

Ingredients:

Cake-
-180g unsalted butter
-180g light brown sugar
-3 eggs, beaten
-180g self raising flour
-1 tsp cinnamon
-2 apples peeled,cored and grated

Buttercream-
-250g unsalted buttercream
-500g icing sugar
-2 tablespoons caramel

Decoration-

-1 package microwave popcorn (I used this brand,Butterkist Microwave Sweet Popcorn )
-2 tbsp caramel

Preheat your oven to 180c and grease and line two sandwich tins with baking paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Gradually beat in the eggs.

Sift over the flour and then add the cinnamon and fold in until just before incorporated.

Add in the grated apple and fold in until everything is combined.

Divide between the sandwich tins and place into the oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Once baked, leave to cool on a cooling rack completely before decorating.

For the buttercream, beat the butter until pale in colour then gradually add the icing sugar and caramel until a spreadable consistency.

Spread a layer of caramel onto one sponge cake then top with half of the buttercream, sandwich on top the other sponge cake then spread on the rest of the buttercream.

Cook your popcorn in the microwave for how ever long the package tells you (burnt popcorn smells awful!)
then sprinkle all over the top of the cake.

Place the 2 tablespoons of caramel into the microwave for about 20 secs, enough so its easier to drizzle.

Then drizzle that caramel goodness all over the top of the cake, yum!

Pink Lemonade Cake

This weekend it seems that spring has sprung! (in Kent anyway)
We've had sunshine and blues skies all weekend and its been very welcome!

So I thought why not celebrate with a bright pink lemon cake!
Decorated with multicoloured sprinkles and ombre buttercream, this will definitely bring a smile to anyone's face.
It is lemon but doesn't actually have lemonade in it, strangely though it tastes like lemonade!

Ingredients:

For the cake-

• 200g unsalted butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 200ml lemon juice
• 2 tsp pink food colouring
• 350g self raising flour
• zest of 2 lemons 

For the buttercream-

• 400g unsalted butter
• 550g icing sugar
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• pink food colouring 

Preheat your oven to 180c and grease and line two sandwich tins with baking paper.

In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Slowly beat in the eggs and lemon juice until incorporated. Then add in your pink food colouring until a vivid pink colour (may need more or less then I used.)
Sift over the flour and add the lemon zests. Fold in gently to combine.

Divide between the sandwich tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating.

To make the buttercream, beat the butter until pale in colour then add the icing sugar and lemon juice until a thick but spreadable consistency.
Divide into two bowls and add pink food colouring too each, so you have two shades of pink.

To decorate, sandwich each cake together with a bit of buttercream.
For the outside, start at the bottom of the cake and spread around the sides with the darker buttercream.
Then cover the top with the lighter buttercream and blend into the sides.

Top with sprinkles.