Drip cakes are very popular at the moment as they are fun, attractive and can come in lots of different sizes and flavours. They are cakes usually stacked 4 sponges high, completely iced over with butter cream and decorated with a variety of chocolate or sweets. The cakes get their name from the decorative look they have of chocolate ganache dripping down the sides of the cake. For my sisters 16th birthday I made this chocolate drip cake decorated with a variety of chocolate treats.

Recipe:

Ingredients

Sponge:

400g butter

400g caster sugar

400g self raising flour

8 eggs

2tsp baking powder

50g cocoa powder

Butter Icing:

400g butter

800g butter icing

30g cocoa powder

Ganache:

75ml double cream

75g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

Decoration:

Chocolate sprinkles

Kinder bueno white

Maltesers

Curly wurly

50g white chocolate

50g milk chocolate

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/ Gas mark 4. Prepare four 8 inch tins by greasing them with butter and lining the bases with grease proof paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add 4 eggs and 200g of the flour to the mixture and mix until combined. Add the remaining eggs and flour and repeat the mixing stage. Fill two of the cake tins with half of the cake mix, then with the remaining mixture add the cocoa, mix until combined and then spoon the cake mixture into the remaining two tins.

Place all of the cake tins in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the sponges have slightly come away from the tins and spring back once touched in the center. Meanwhile, while the cakes are cooking prepare the fillings and decoration.

To make the butter cream: Mix the butter cream and icing sugar together for around 5-10 minutes until it has achieved a pale, very light and fluffy texture. Take 1/3 of the butter cream mixture and put into a separate bowl with the cocoa powder and combine.

To make the chocolate shards: prepare a baking tray with a sheet of non stick paper, stuck down with a bit of butter. In two separate bowls in the microwave, melt the dark and white chocolate. Pour the two chocolates onto the non stick paper, leaving some chocolate spare to drizzle on top of each chocolate. Using a cocktail stick swirl the chocolate to form patterns in the chocolate, then set in the fridge.



Once the cakes have cooled place each cake on top of each other and ensure they line up and sit on each other perfectly. You may need to trim the top of the cakes off where they have slightly risen in the oven. Once the cakes are ready layer each cake with butter cream, so that the layers alternate chocolate then plain butter icing (However ensure there is enough plain butter cream left to ice the whole outside of the cake.

Next ice the outside of the cakes using a palette knife with the plain buttercream as evenly as possible. Set in the fridge to cool for around half an hour. Once the first layer is set, repeat the icing so the cake is fully covered, and leave again to firm up in the fridge. Repeat these stages until you are happy with the coverage.

Meanwhile make the ganache: Heat the cream in a saucepan over a medium heat until it starts to simmer, then remove from the heat. Stir in the chocolate until it has all melted then place into a piping bag.

Remove the cake from the fridge and using your hand lightly press in the chocolate sprinkles around the lower outside of the cake.

Once you have placed all the sprinkles on the cake, pipe the ganache in the center of the cake and drips of ganache down the sides of the cake.

To decorate: Remove the chocolate out of the fridge and snap off sections to from chocolate shards. Arrange the chocolate shards and chocolate bars to the top of the cake for the finishing look.

I hope you try this extravagant cake out for yourself, which is perfect as a celebration cake for birthdays or special occasions. To make it more personal you can chose your own decorations such as using sweets instead of chocolate, making a different sponge such as red velvet etc. There is so many options with these cakes.

For more of my work and food inspiration please check out my Instagram @carolinetranter_food.