Checkerboard Birthday Cake

So a little while back, my mum and sister had a joint party, and I’m only just getting round to sharing with you all this fabulous birthday cake I made for them.

Honestly, I have never attempted a checkerboard cake before, so didn’t have high hopes for myself, but it actually worked really really well- and it’s so easy to make!

However, when decorating it, make sure you buy something big enough to go to the top of the cake, I was going to use kitkats or chocolate fingers, but the cake was too high, oops!

It is so so delicious, and so impressive, you’ll have all your guests with mouths wide, wandering how you did it, but little do they know it’s actually really easy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 450g self-raising flour, sifted
• 150g plain flour, sifted
• 590g caster sugar
• 300g butter, melted
• 440mL milk
• 6 eggs, beaten lightly
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 50g cocoa powder, sifted
• 600g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 250ml double cream

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line four 18cm round cake pans with baking paper.
2. Combine flours, sugar, butter, milk and eggs in large mixing bowl. Using an electric beater; beat on low speed until just combined. Increase speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick and pale.
3. Evenly divide cake mixture into two bowls(I weighed mine to make sure each cake was exactly even); add vanilla bean paste to one bowl and mix well. Add cocoa powder to remaining bowl, mix well. Divide vanilla mixture among two prepared pans, and divide chocolate mixture among remaining two prepared pans; bake 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Using a serrated knife, level cake tops.
4. Meanwhile, to make chocolate ganache, put dark chocolate and cream in heatproof bowl; microwave, uncovered, on medium for 1 minute; stir; repeat in 30 second intervals until melted. Set aside until cool and thick, stirring occasionally.
5. To assemble, print and cut out the template that you can download  here 
   
6. Coat the cut inner sides of a chocolate outer ring with a thin layer chocolate ganache and place a vanilla middle ring inside. Coat the cut inner sides of the vanilla ring with ganache and fill circle with a chocolate center. Repeat this sequence again.
7. Coat the cut inner sides of a vanilla outer ring with chocolate ganache and place a chocolate middle ring inside. Coat the cut inner sides of the chocolate ring with ganache and fill circle with a vanilla center. Repeat this sequence again. You should now have four cakes each alternating in chocolate and vanilla rings.
8. Sandwich the cake layers together with a little chocolate ganache, alternating layers. Spread remaining chocolate ganache over top and sides of cake.
9. Decorate how you wish!

ENJOY AND IMPRESS