Chocolate Rose Cake

If you're feeling in the mood for romance then how about this stunning chocolate rose cake for that special someone in your life?   Ingredients | Serves 6-8 For the chocolate cake:

• 125g self raising flour
• 15g cocoa powder
• 140g caster sugar
• 140g butter, softened
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

For the buttercream:

• 100g butter, softened
• 120g icing sugar, sieved
• 30g cocoa powder, sieved

For the decoration:

• 500g chocolate sugar paste (available from larger supermarkets, sugar craft shops or online)
• 50g red sugar paste
• Red edible glitter
• Edible glue

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/160˚C fan/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 15cm round cake tin.
2. Sieve the flour and cocoa into a large mixing bowl and add all the other cake ingredients and beat together until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Spoon into the prepared tin, level the top and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 mins. The cake should be springy to the touch and have slightly shrunk away from the side of the tin. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 mins before turning out onto a cooling rack. When completely cool, split the cake horizontally through the middle.
3. Prepare the buttercream by beating together the softened butter, icing sugar and cocoa until smooth. Use a quarter of the buttercream to sandwich together the two halves of the cake and use the remainder to spread over the top and sides of the cake.
4. Take half the sugar paste and knead until soft. Then roll out into a strip that is long enough to reach around the circumference of the cake and is approx 6cm taller than the cake (approx dimensions 52 x 12cm). Wrap this around the side of the cake, allowing it to curl over the top, smooth the sides making a join at the back. Then fold back the top edge of the icing, to form a ruffle.
5. Use the remaining chocolate sugar paste to make eight 6 petal roses and one 8 petal rose, see step-by-step here for instructions, and use these to top the cake. Roll out the red sugar paste to a thickness of approx 4mm and cut two large hearts, brush these with edible glue and sprinkle with the glitter. Use the edible glue to attach these to the cake for a glamorous finish.

TIP: * Once you master making these roses, you can make them in any colour or size to decorate anything from cupcakes to wedding cakes. * This is a great chocolate cake recipe simply sandwiched with buttercream or whipped cream.