A moist, dark and delicious layer cake with rich smoky notes and hint of molasses. If you're looking for a crowd-pleasing birthday or celebration cake, look no further. This cake, filled and topped with a sumptuous treacly chocolate ganache is just what you need.
Cream the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the treacle.
200 g unsalted butter, 200 g dark brown sugar, 5 tbsp treacle
Beat in the eggs one by one, adding a little of the flour as you go if the mixture starts to curdle.
4 medium eggs
Sift in the dry ingredients and gently stir together followed by the milk.
250 g flour, 50 g cocoa powder, 1½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Stir this in alternately with the sour milk.
8 tbsp sour milk
Spoon into two 20cm (8") cake moulds and bake at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4) for 25-30 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and firm to the touch.
Leave to cool for ten minutes or so, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Chocolate Treacle Ganache Icing
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat.
100 g unsalted butter
Add the treacle and chocolate. Turn the heat off and leave to melt.
1 tbsp treacle, 150 g dark chocolate
Stir until smooth then add the cream and vanilla extract and stir again.
6 tbsp double cream (heavy cream), ½ tsp vanilla extract
Leave in a cool place for about half an hour to firm up enough so that you can ice the cake. But be careful not to leave it so long that it becomes too stiff.
Sandwich the cakes together with half the mixture and spread the remainder over the top.
Decorate if wished with chocolate curls or shavings, glitter, golden balls or stars.
Notes
To make a cheat's version of sour milk, add a teaspoon of lemon juice or cider vinegar to the milk, give it a stir and leave for five minutes. When it's curdled, it's ready to use.
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used.