Birthday Cake

Earlier this week we had a birthday celebration. My youngest turned 13! I now have three teenagers in the house, however this won't be for too long as Miss 17 finishes school this year and is planning to move to Christchurch to study next year (and coincidentaly the boyfriend lives there too). 

The crocheted birthday banner was hung up and then it was on to the cake.

One day when I was standing in the supermarket checkout aisle I spotted a magazine with a beautiful checkered cake on the front cover. I flicked through the pages to the instructions for the cake and thought "that looks easy, so impressive and just the cake I'd like to make". I figured that I could probably find the directions of putting it altogether on Pinterest. I was right, there it was, with lots of other ideas too.

The birthday was on Tuesday but I started the process on the Suday before as I wanted to freeze the cakes to make them easier to work with. I made a double mixture of a trusted old cake recipe, kept one half vanilla and then added cocoa to the other half of the mixture. Once they had cooled down, into the freezer they went and the soon to be birthday boy was none the wiser to the ultimate plan for them.

Tuesday came and birthday boy was up, showered and dressed before I got out of bed. Presents were given, the favourite one being a World Cup Final replica ball. While he was at school I set to work. 

Step 1 find the pictorial instructions on Pinterest. 

Step 2 make chocolate ganache. Put 200g of dark chocolate and 125ml of cream into a microwave bowl and heat for 1min 30 on high. Then stir, stir, stir until it has all blended together. Leave to cool (I put mine in the fridge).

Step 3 cut the cakes. You need to cut all four cakes into pieces like this.

To do this find two circular shapes that will make all the pieces about the same width. I used a bowl and cut around it with a knife and a cookie cutter.

All the cakes cut.

Step 4 put the pices back together like this.

Start 5 layer the cakes with a thin spread of ganache between the layers to hold them together. So, the layers alternate the cake flavour on the outside - chocolate, vanilla, chocolate, vanilla.

Step 6 cover the entire cake in the remaining chocolate ganache. I had just enough. Return the cake to the fridge for the ganache to harden. 

Cake time finally came. The cake looked quite impressive before it was cut into due to its size . No hint of the inside surprise. With bated breath I waited for the first cut and secret birthday wish by the birthday boy. Then I sliced it into pieces for everyone. YES! It worked! A checkered cake.

This was a particularly delicious cake and I think it was due to the real chocolate used in the ganache. Enjoy in moderation.