Fererro Rocher Chocolate Cake

This is a cake (recipe from Ninemsn's Lifestyle Page) that I attempted to bake a couple of years ago and have decided to share the recipe of, because, even though it looks too sickeningly sweet and dense, it is actually quite balanced in flavour and is really delicious, heavenly and full of chocolately goodness.

The cake turned out to feed a lot more people than expected, so the recipe is great for larger groups and will be a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. The secret ingredient is the addition of Fererro Rocher chocolates through the centre, which cut through the creamy richness of the cake with bursts of crisp, salty nuts.

Serves 8:
- ¾ cup good quality cocoa powder
- ¾ cup hot water
- 275g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups caster sugar
- 5 eggs
- 3 cups self-raising flour
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 200g block of dark chocolate for curls and gold leaf, to decorate
- 12 Fererro Rocher chocolates

Ganache:
- 800g dark cooking chocolate, chopped (63 per cent Cocoa couverture)
- 600ml thickened cream

Preheat oven 160°C. Grease 2 x 20cm round cake pans and line the bases and sides with baking paper. Place the cocoa powder in a medium bowl and gradually whisk in hot water until smooth.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Gradually add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition and occasionally scrapping down the sides of  the bowl. Gradually pour in the cocoa mixture, beating until well combined.

Sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda, fold into the butter mixture, then stir in the milk. Spoon  the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, smoothing over the tops. Place Fererro Rocher chocolates over top of cakes and push down slightly (most will sink lower when the cake is in the oven).

Cook cakes in the same oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until cooked - when a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Stand cakes in pans for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache, stir chocolate and cream over a low heat in a large saucepan until just melted. Remove, and refrigerate until it is a spreadable consistency.

To construct the whole cake, place one cake on a serving plate. Spread the top with one cup of ganache, and top with other cake. Spread  the remaining ganache over the top and side of the whole cake. Decorate with dark chocolate curls and gold leaf. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: I've since learnt that to make life easier, before smearing on the ganache, use a pasty brush to gently brush along the surface of the cake to remove all crumbs that will interfere with a smooth and glossy icing.

Instead of creating dark chocolate curls, I chose to decorate my cake with bits of white chocolate, bought from Max Brenner. From memory, I spent a good 6 hours baking, constructing and decorating it!

Fererro Rocher Triple Chocolate Cake