"You're Going Straight To Chocolate Hell" 12 Layer Chocolate Cake!
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 120 minutes
Cooking time:
- 3 cups plain or all purpose flour
- 3 cups brown sugar
- 2/3 cup cocoa, sifted
- 3 teaspoons bi carbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup mild flavoured vegetable oil (eg. canola oil)
- 6 tablespoons white vinegar
- 6 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 150g/5ozs. dark chocolate finely chopped
Frosting
- 700g/25ozs. milk chocolate, finely chopped
- 300ml/10.6flozs. cream
- 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 1 cup Milo or choc malt powder
Chocolate Mousse Layers
- 1 teaspoon gelatine
- 1.5 tablespoons water
- 200g/7ozs. dark chocolate
- 375ml/13flozs. cream
To decorate
- 4 tablespoons chocolate hail
Step 1 - Make the cakes first. You can make them a day or two ahead of time. Line 10 x 18cm/7.2inch round tins (you can also do this in batches and the batter can wait around for this to be made in batches). Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Whisk the flour and sugar together. Sift in the cocoa, bicarb and salt and whisk again. In a jug measure the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir until lumps disappear and add in the chopped chocolate.
Step 2 - Ladle in the batter in even proportions. It will rise a little so don't fill the tins too high. You want thin layers. Bake for 25 minutes or until the centre springs back when pressed. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 3 - For the chocolate mousse, line two of the round baking trays with parchment. Sprinkle the gelatine over the water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Melt the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the cream over a double boiler and then add the gelatine syrup and mix until combined. Cool slightly. Whip the remaining cream until you start to get stiff peaks. Stir in the chocolate gelatine mix and fold until combined. Divide into the two tins and refrigerate. They're relatively thin so they should set in about 30 minutes.
Step 4 - For frosting heat the cream and pour over the chocolate and stir until melted. Sift over the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the Milo and mix.
Step 5 - To construct the cake, take two springform tins and line the base and sides-I use an oiled cake snake to fill in the gap as my springform tins were larger than the tins that I baked the cake in. Also clear your freezer (this is really more an instruction for me as my freezer is always full). Place one layer at the base and spread with the frosting. Repeat with another 4 layers and then finish with a layer of chocolate mousse. Place in the freezer. Repeat with the other springform tin and the other 5 layers of cake and layer of chocolate mousse. Freeze until firm.
Step 6 - Place one layer cake on a serving plate and then add the second one. Spread with the remaining frosting and then press the chocolate sprinkles on the bottom.