This delicious Mary Berry Chocolate Birthday Cake is a perfect treat for any special occasion. With a rich, creamy ganache and fluffy layers, it’s simple to make and guaranteed to impress. You can easily customize with your favourite chocolates or liqueurs, making it a flexible, crowd-pleasing dessert.
This Chocolate Birthday Cake Is From Makes It Easy Cookbook by Mary Berry
Ingredients Needed
For the Cake:
- 30g cocoa powder
- 5 tbsp boiling water
- 225g caster sugar
- 225g baking spread, straight from the fridge
- 275g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp milk
For the Ganache Icing:
- 450ml (¾ pint) pouring double cream
- 450g (1lb) plain chocolate, broken into pieces
For the Filling:
- 4 tbsp cream liqueur (such as Baileys, Kahlúa, or Amarula)
- 300ml pouring double cream, whipped to soft peaks
For Decoration:
- 175g Maltesers
- 8 chocolate truffles, roughly chopped
How To Make Chocolate Birthday Cake
- Preheat the oven and prepare the tin: Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 30 × 23 cm (12 × 9 in) traybake tin with non-stick baking paper.
- Make the cake batter: Mix the cocoa powder and boiling water in a large bowl to form a smooth paste. Add the caster sugar, baking spread, self-raising flour, baking powder, eggs, and milk. Whisk with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Bake the cake: Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, leveling the surface. Bake for 35 minutes or until the cake has risen and is shrinking away from the edges of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack, then remove the baking paper.
- Repeat with the second cake: Repeat the same process to make a second traybake. If you have two tins, you can bake them both at the same time.
- Make the ganache: Heat the double cream in a saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the broken pieces of chocolate until melted. Allow the ganache to cool and thicken into a spreadable consistency.
- Assemble the cake: Place one of the cakes on a serving board and drizzle half of the cream liqueur over it. Fold the remaining liqueur into the whipped double cream and spread it evenly on top of the first cake. Place the second cake on top, gently pressing down.
- Pipe the ganache: Fit a fluted star nozzle into a piping bag, fill it with 350g (12oz) of the ganache, and set aside.
- Decorate the cake: Spread the remaining ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Use a fork to create a pretty horizontal pattern on the sides. Pipe small stars around the top edge of the cake using the ganache in the piping bag.
- Finish the decoration: Top the cake with Maltesers and roughly chopped chocolate truffles for a delicious, festive touch. Allow the cake to set before serving. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients: Make sure your baking spread and eggs are at room temperature. This helps the ingredients mix together more easily, giving your cake a light and fluffy texture.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Whisk the ingredients until just combined. Overmixing can make the cake dense instead of light and airy.
- Check the cake with a skewer: To ensure the cake is fully baked, insert a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it’s wet, bake for a few more minutes.
- Cool the cakes completely: Let your cakes cool in the tin before removing them. This prevents them from breaking or becoming too crumbly.
- Use chilled ganache for easy spreading: Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature before spreading it on the cake. If it’s too warm, it will run off the sides. Chilled ganache is easier to spread and will stay in place.
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers chocolate birthday cake in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: Wrap leftovers chocolate birthday cake tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 290 kcal
- Total Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
- Sodium: 190mg
- Potassium: 120mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 38g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Sugars: 28g
- Protein: 4g
More Pioneer Woman Recipes:
Mary Berry Chocolate Birthday Cake
Description
This delicious Mary Berry Chocolate Birthday Cake is a perfect treat for any special occasion. With a rich, creamy ganache and fluffy layers, it’s simple to make and guaranteed to impress. You can easily customize with your favourite chocolates or liqueurs, making it a flexible, crowd-pleasing dessert.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
For the Ganache Icing:
For the Filling:
For Decoration:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prepare the tin: Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 30 × 23 cm (12 × 9 in) traybake tin with non-stick baking paper.
- Make the cake batter: Mix the cocoa powder and boiling water in a large bowl to form a smooth paste. Add the caster sugar, baking spread, self-raising flour, baking powder, eggs, and milk. Whisk with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Bake the cake: Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, leveling the surface. Bake for 35 minutes or until the cake has risen and is shrinking away from the edges of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack, then remove the baking paper.
- Repeat with the second cake: Repeat the same process to make a second traybake. If you have two tins, you can bake them both at the same time.
- Make the ganache: Heat the double cream in a saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the broken pieces of chocolate until melted. Allow the ganache to cool and thicken into a spreadable consistency.
- Assemble the cake: Place one of the cakes on a serving board and drizzle half of the cream liqueur over it. Fold the remaining liqueur into the whipped double cream and spread it evenly on top of the first cake. Place the second cake on top, gently pressing down.
- Pipe the ganache: Fit a fluted star nozzle into a piping bag, fill it with 350g (12oz) of the ganache, and set aside.
- Decorate the cake: Spread the remaining ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Use a fork to create a pretty horizontal pattern on the sides. Pipe small stars around the top edge of the cake using the ganache in the piping bag.
- Finish the decoration: Top the cake with Maltesers and roughly chopped chocolate truffles for a delicious, festive touch. Allow the cake to set before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients: Make sure your baking spread and eggs are at room temperature. This helps the ingredients mix together more easily, giving your cake a light and fluffy texture.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Whisk the ingredients until just combined. Overmixing can make the cake dense instead of light and airy.
- Check the cake with a skewer: To ensure the cake is fully baked, insert a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it’s wet, bake for a few more minutes.
- Cool the cakes completely: Let your cakes cool in the tin before removing them. This prevents them from breaking or becoming too crumbly.
- Use chilled ganache for easy spreading: Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature before spreading it on the cake. If it’s too warm, it will run off the sides. Chilled ganache is easier to spread and will stay in place.
Mary Berry Chocolate Birthday Cake