I am not the best cake decorator and would never be able to showcase anything on the Gingham Alter – although I reckon everybody secretly wants to be on GBBO! When I make cakes I like to have the reassurance that if they look rubbish I can slather them in melted chocolate or buttercream. It hides a multitude of sins! I don’t have any of the fancy cake decorating tools I see in cook shops. I love the idea of cake decorating but the trouble is I can’t stand that roll-on icing, nobody in my family does either. In fact I know few people who do. These cakes look amazing that you see at kids parties or weddings but the reality is that you have to sink your teeth into some weird textured, sweet thing that really puts your teeth on edge. To me putting icing into my mouth it like the squeak of polystyrene which Charlie describes very nicely as “making my skin tingle”!
I always like to make the kids a birthday cake and this year this is Charlie’s
Lidl or Aldi are great for good quality chocolate
Ingredients
200g caster sugar
200g softened butter
4 eggs, beaten
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk
300g of chocolate for decorating
2 bags of M & Ms
Enough Kit Kat fingers to wrap around the outside.
For the filling
100g butter, softened
140g icing sugar
350g good quality strawberry jam
Heat oven 190 Degree C.
Butter two 20cm sandwich tins
Use a stand mixer or by hand and beat caster sugar, softened butter, beaten eggs, self-raising flour, baking powder and milk together until you have a smooth, mixture.
Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula
Bake for about 20 mins until golden
Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
To make the filling, beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in icing sugar and a drop of vanilla extract
Spread the buttercream over the bottom of one of the sponges. Top it with 170g strawberry jam and sandwich the second sponge on top.
Melt the chocolate and spread over the top and sides of cake then place all the KitKats round the outside.
Once the chocolate is set, pour over the M&Ms over the top.
Tie a bit of ribbon round the cake and enjoy.
