Mud cake

I bought a wonderful cookbook, the Australian Women’s Weekly Wicked, several years ago, and discovered the decadence of the Mud Cake. I only make it once a year, really, because it is just so much work, but it is oh! so worth it. This year, I adapted the recipe a little when I baked it as Sinead’s birthday cake (her request), here’s the adapted recipe:

 

 

Cake:

Ingredients:

• 250g butter, chopped
• 150g white chocolate, chopped coarsely
• 2 cups caster sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1½ cup plain flour
• ½ cup self-raising flour
• 1t vanilla essence
• 2 eggs, beaten lightly
• 4T cocoa

Method:

Preheat the oven to 120°C/240°F (slow)

• Grease two deep, round 20cm cake pans, and line with baking paper.
• In a large saucepan, over slow heat, melt the butter and white chocolate. Add the caster sugar and milk and mix until smooth, stir until all the sugar has dissolved.
• Sift the flours into the chocolate mixture and mix well.
• Whisk in the vanilla essence, eggs and the sifted cocoa.
• Pour into the prepared pans and bake for about 50 minutes.
• Stand for about 5-10 minutes, turn top side up onto wire rack to cool.

Topping/filling:

Ingredients:

• 400g milk chocolate, chopped coarsely
• 150g butter
• 2T milk (approximately)
• 2 cups icing sugar

Method:

• In a medium saucepan, over slow heat, melt the butter and chocolate. Stir continuously to prevent the chocolate from burning or sticking.
• Stir in sifted icing sugar and enough milk to give it a thick spreading consistency.

Put the cake together, using the chocolate mixture as both filling between layers and topping, and then decorate to taste.

I found the most beautiful silver candy-coated Belgian chocolate hearts to decorate for Sinead’s birthday: