Chocolate Pinata Cake

I made this cake a couple of weeks ago for a few of my friends in work! I wanted to make something that was a little bit crazy so pretty much just put as much chocolate as I could in one cake.

I  adjusted Donal Skehan's Ultimate cake to make a three layer cake. Then I sandwiched and filled it with chocolate buttercream. I surrounded the cake with lots of Kit Kats and topped it with Malteesers. There's also some M&Ms hidden inside the cake. Seriously, you will probably need the dentist after this one!!

To make the Pinata part of the cake, I cut a circle out of the middle layer and filled it with M&Ms before stacking. I was hoping they'd fall out when the cake was cut, but they kinda just sat there. Maybe there was too much buttercream? But the element of surprise was still there! And the cake was demolished quicker than any cake I've ever made!

Chocolate Pinata Cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake

(adapted from Donal Skehan)

265g self-raising flour

3 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

225g caster sugar

225ml sunflower oil

3 large eggs, beaten

3 tbsp golden syrup

Preheat your oven to 180ºC and line three baking tins. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and bicarb into the biggest bowl you have. (Or if you're lazy, like me, put them into the bowl and give it a good whisk). Add in the sugar and mix well. In a jug, measure in the wet ingredients (oil, milk, eggs, syrup) and mix. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and gradually add in the wet ingredients until you have a smooth (and quite wet) mixture. Pour evenly between your baking tins and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly in the tins, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp boiling water

150g unsalted butter, softened

225g icing sugar

 

Blend the cocoa powder and water to a paste and leave to cool slightly. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the icing sugar until well combined. Add in the cocoa powder paste and beat once more.

 

To assemble the cake, cut a circle out of one of the cakes. I used a plate and cut around it. Place one cake on a cake board and spread a thin layer of buttercream on top. Place the cake with the hole on top spread a thin layer of buttercream on top. Fill the hole with M&Ms and place the final cake on top. Cover the whole cake with buttercream. Gently place the Kit Kats around the side and the Malteesers on top. Tie with a bow to help keep the Kit Kats in place.