Of course Santa is the main man at Christmas, but we all know that Rudolph is secretly the star of the show. This year he could also be the showstopper at your Christmas celebration, we have created this adorable alternative Christmas Cake recipe. 4 layers of rich chocolate cake, covered in delicious chocolate buttercream and decorated like everybody’s favourite reindeer. This is sure to make the little one’s happy this Christmas.
Method
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas mark 4) Grease and line four 8” tins
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Beat together the eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar and butter until light, fluffy and fully combined.
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6
Eggs (Free Range, Live)
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350g
Self-Raising White Flour
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350g
Unrefined Dark Muscovado Sugar (we like Billington's)
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350g
Unsalted Butter (Softened)
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3 tsp
Baking Powder
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In a separate bowl mix together the cocoa powder and boiling water to create a paste, then add to the mix.
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80g
Cocoa Powder
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10 tbsp
Water (Boiling)
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Carefully fold the chocolate paste in with the cake batter until the chocolate has been fully mixed in.
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Pour out equal quantities of mixture into each tin then bake for 20-25. You may need to bake these in two batches.
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Once baked throughout, leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin, then transfer onto a wire cooling rack.
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To make the buttercream, blend together the icing sugar and butter, gradually adding the milk to loosen the mix.
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1kg
Icing Sugar (we like Silver Spoon)
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320g
Unsalted Butter (Softened)
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50g
Cocoa Powder
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100ml
Milk (Whole)
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When the cake has cooled, position it in the centre of your cake board. Spread the buttercream between each layer of the cake, the top and the sides. Using a warm pallet knife (you can run this under a warm tap and dry) to create a smooth finish with the buttercream. Save a small amount of the buttercream for decoration purposes.
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Roll out red fondant icing and use a circular cutter to cut out the reindeer nose. Secure onto the buttercream in the centre before the buttercream sets. Cut a thick strip of red icing to make the reindeer collar and secure to the bottom of the cake.
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Roll out the chocolate fondant icing and cut out two of the larger ear shapes. Repeat the process with the white fondant and cut of two smaller inner ears. Spray the white ears with gold lustre spray and secure to the chocolate ears by brushing the backs with water. Pinch the base of the ears to shape and secure on to the top of the cake using tooth picks.
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Roll out three small balls of white icing to create the reindeer bells and spray with gold lustre. Once the gold has dried, position the balls at the centre of the red collar.
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Mix together the icing sugar, water and black food colouring to a thick consistency then fill a piping bag fitted with a nozzle with a small hole. Pipe two eyes on to the buttercream.
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100g
Icing Sugar (we like Silver Spoon)
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1
Black Food Colouring
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Using cardboard draw and cut out two antlers, spray these with gold paint or lustre and allow to set. Secure two straws to the back of the antlers for support. Insert two toothpicks into the top of the cake and position the straws over the toothpicks to hold the antlers in place.
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Pipe the remaining buttercream, using a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle on to the top of the cake. Decorate the rest of the cake using festive cake decorations such as edible mistletoe.
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Reviews
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Shereen Nawaz
31 December 2017
5 star rating
Thank you sooo much for this gorgeous recipe! 1st time baking a choco cake with my 2 little daughters.. turned out perfect!! Moist and airy.. Will defo recommend and will be using this recipe for my future choco cakes ❤
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