Ultimate Spiced Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with Marshmallows

Hot Chocolate Layer Cake With Marshmallows

For the cake

• 180g/6ozs. butter

• 3 cups/450g/1lb cake flour

• 3/4 cup/185ml/6.5flozs vegetable oil (I used a pecan oil)

• 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs water

• 60ml/2flozs coffee

• 140g/5ozs dark chocolate

• 3 cups/660g/23ozs caster or superfine sugar

• 3/4 cup/75g/2.6ozs cocoa

• 3 eggs at room temperature

• 3/4 cup/185ml/6.5flozs buttermilk

• 2 tablespoons vanilla

• 100g/3.5ozs pecans toasted

• 2.5 teaspoons baking soda

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For frosting

• 2 1/2 cups/625ml/22flozs cream

• 90g/3ozs. butter

• 180g/6 ozs. chocolate

• 2 cups/320g/11ozs icing sugar

• 2 cups/200g/7ozs cocoa powder (yes 2 cups)

• 1/2 cup/175g/6ozs golden syrup

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For decoration

• 500g/1 pound toasted marshmallows

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Step 1 - Firstly make the frosting as it will need to set overnight or for a few hours: In a large saucepan on low heat combine cream and butter and melt butter without boiling. Whisk in the chopped chocolate until melted. Whisk in icing sugar, cocoa, syrup and salt. Pour into pan and refrigerate overnight.

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Step 2 - Line 3 x 20cm 20/8 inch baking tins with parchment and preheat the oven to 180C. In a saucepan combine butter, oil, chocolate and water and melt on medium heat until chocolate is completely melted.

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Step 3 - In a bowl, add flour, sugar and cocoa. Whisk together until combined. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture gradually until combined and whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Then whisk in buttermilk, and vanilla. Take out the whisk and using a spatula add the pecans, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and black pepper and stir to combine. Divide the mixture into three parts into each of the tins and bake in the oven for 40 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Don't bake the tins underneath each other rather alternate them halfway during the cooking process. Cool.

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Trimming off the uneven top and then flip it carefully upside down so that the super smooth bottom is facing upwards

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And voila, you have your first base coat of frosting aka the crumb coat so that any cake crumbs don't show up on the outside frosting

Step 4 - Place the cake on the serving dish and place strips of baking parchment underneath to make it easier to keep the plate neat and clean. Slice off the domed top from the cake layers (keep for a trifle perhaps or cake pops) and place one layer on the plate. Spread with some of the icing and then place the next trimmed cake layer and then the third layer on top. Then spread a thin layer of icing around the entire cake-this is called a crumb layer. Refrigerate until set for an hour.

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After refrigerating the crumb coat, then add a final coat of frosting-you can be generous, I had about a cup left over of frosting (cook's treat of course ;) )

Step 5 - Spread the remaining icing over the whole cake. Then top with toasted marshmallows. Stand back and prepare yourself for marriage proposals...

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