Chocolate Candy Cane Cake

Wow your guests with our hidden reveal chocolate cake.

Wow your guests with our hidden reveal chocolate cake. We used homemade candy cane meringue kisses to decorate the top, but you could use shop-bought mini candy canes instead, or leave the decoration off entirely.

Yields: 20 servings

Prep Time: 2 hours 15 mins

Process Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 3 hours 15 mins

Calories per Serving: 734

Ingredients

FOR THE SPONGES

• 250 g

  unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease

• 200 g

  caster sugar

• 175 g

  dark brown soft sugar

• 2 tbsp.

  black treacle

• 3

  medium eggs

• 350 mL

  whole milk

• 300 mL

  soured cream

• 2 tsp.

  vanilla extract

• 2 tsp.

  bicarbonate of soda

• 125 g

  cocoa powder

FOR THE PEPPERMINT BUTTERCREAM

• 300 g

  white chocolate, roughly chopped

• 525 g

  unsalted butter, chopped and softened

• 750 g

  icing sugar

• 4 tsp.

  peppermint extract

Purple food colouring gel or paste, optional, see GH tips

Extra strong red food colouring paste, we used Sugarflair Red Extrt

YOU WILL ALSO NEED

Peppermint candy canes, crushed (optional)

3 large piping bags

Candy cane meringue kisses, to decorate (optional)

Directions

1. Make the sponges. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease and line the base and sides of 2 x 20.5cm round, deep cake tins with baking parchment. Using a freestanding mixer or a handheld electric whisk and a large bowl, beat the butter, sugars and treacle until pale and fluffy, about 5min. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
2. In a jug, mix the milk, soured cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder. With the motor running slowly, add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. When almost incorporated, add 1/3 of the milk mixture. Continue adding until all the dry and liquid ingredients have been mixed in (don’t overwork it at this stage).
3. Divide evenly between the prepared cake tins and smooth to level. Bake for 55min, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely in tins.
4. Make the buttercream. Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set overa pan of barely simmering water. When melted and smooth, remove bowl and set aside to cool for 15min. Using a freestanding mixer or a handheld electric whisk and a very large bowl (make in 2 batches if you don’t have a very large bowl), beat the butter until very pale and fluffy. Sift in 1/2 the icing sugar and beat to combine (start on a low speed, to prevent a cloud of sugar). Sift in remaining icing sugar and add the peppermint extract and cooled chocolate. Using a cocktail stick, add a drop of purple food colouring, if using, and beat in – this will help neutralise the yellow colour of the buttercream. Beat until light and fluffy.
5. Spoon 1/4 of the buttercream intoa separate bowl and add enough red food colouring to dye it a rich red. Scrape into a piping bag. Divide remaining white buttercream between 2 piping bags. Set aside (do not chill).
6. Slice each cake in 1/2 horizontally. Set aside 1 base and place the other 3 sponges in front of you. Snip 1.5cm off the end of the red and 1 white icing piping bags, and pipe concentric circles of alternating red and white buttercream on each of the 3 sponges, starting on the outside edge with white (see GH tips). Place 1 piped sponge on a cake board or flat plate, then carefully stack remaining sponges on top, finishing with the undecorated base sponge, bottom-side up. Pipe and spread a thin layer of white buttercream over top and sides of cake – this acts as a crumb coat – and chill for 30min.
7. Place cake (on its board/plate) on a cake turntable, if you have one. Pipe and spread the remaining white buttercream over the top and sides of the cake, smoothing carefully to get a flat, even finish (a large ruler or palette knife is useful for this, particularly for the sides). Chill briefly to firm icing.
8. To finish, gently press crushed candy canes on the bottom 1/3 of the cake (if using). Top with meringues (if using). Serve.

GH TIPS

– A drop of purple food colouring helps to neutralise the yellow colour of the buttercream, making it appear whiter.

– It’s important your outermost rings of buttercream filling are white otherwise the red is likely to seep into the icing layer later on, making it pink.

– If you have fridge space, chill the piped sponges, uncovered, for 10min before stacking, to help keep the stripes neat.

TO STORE

Assemble and decorate the cake up to a day ahead. Chill until buttercream is firm, then cover with clingfilm and chill. Keep any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve at room temperature

Per serving (without meringue decoration):

• Calories: 734
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 42g
• Saturates: 26g
• Carbs: 81g
• Sugars: 67g
• Fibre: 2g