My last meal (for dessert) would definitely include profiteroles, filled with cream and drowning in chocolate sauce. I love, love, love them. Actually, in an ideal world, my last meal would probably include at least three or four desserts – no risk of diabetes if its your last one! This cake might just make that list.

I was keen to make a version of an ombre cake but I didn’t want a brightly coloured one (I’ll save that for a mad hatters tea party…) so I opted for one in more earthy tones, namely chocolate, coffee and vanilla, smothered in a variety of creamy, rich chocolate ganache’s.

My original plan was to make it with a basic Victoria sponge cake, adding the different flavours but when I tried this the cakes just seemed too dry. Maybe it was due to not filling the cakes with the usual buttercream and/or cream, I’m not sure but I wasn’t happy with the result. Instead I tried it with this recipe adapted from an old Australian Women’s Weekly recipe for Rainbow Cake. It’s really easy to make and the cakes were a much better match for the ganache frosting.

I made a double batch – I wanted a BIG cake but when it came to stacking the layers, I found that six layers was just too big (especially as it was for a smallish gathering of people – there is only so much cake we can stuff ourselves with) so instead I used four layers, doubling up on the chocolate. Three layers would have been fine but I wanted the extra height for the photos.

The ombre frosting is Kahlua infused, dark chocolate ganache, milk chocolate ganache and vanilla white chocolate ganache. The profiteroles are filled with lightly sweetened cream and dipped in a dark chocolate sauce (i.e. ganache).

Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Rainbow Cake

4 eggs

330g caster sugar

300g self-raising flour

250ml milk

50g butter

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (or 2 tbsp instant coffee powder)

2 tablespoons milk + 2 tablespoons milk, extra

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease and line three, 20cm round sandwich pans.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Melt the butter and milk together in a pan until mixture is hot but not boiling and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating well after each addition so that the sugar dissolves.

Fold in a third of the sifted flour, then half the hot milk mixture and repeat, ending with the flour.

Divide the mixture evenly into three bowls. Add the vanilla extract into one bowl and mix gently. Blend the cocoa with 2 tablespoons of the extra milk and fold into the second bowl. Blend the coffee powder with the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra milk and fold into the third bowl.

Pour the mixtures into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes. Turn cakes onto cooling racks immediately.

Profiteroles

3 eggs, beaten

100g plain flour

pinch of salt

150ml water

75g butter

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Place the water and butter in a saucepan set over a medium-high heat, stirring until the butter melts. Allow the mixture to come to the boil then take the pan off the heat immediately and add the flour and salt, all in one go and beat very well with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together.

Reduce the heat to medium and put the pan back over the heat. Stir the mixture for 1 minute, until the mixture starts to ‘fur’ – slightly stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a minute or two.

Pour some of the egg into the flour mixture and using a wooden spoon, beat well. Keep adding a little more egg, beating hard after each addition. It may look like the mixture is splitting but just keep mixing and it will come together. You might not need to add all the egg or maybe you might need a little more – you are looking for a mixture that is shiny and has a dropping consistency. If the mixture is too stiff (not enough egg) then the choux buns will be heavy and wet but if the mixture is too runny, they will not hold their shape when piped onto paper. This just means you have to watch your pastry as you go and judge when its ready.

Put the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a large nozzle and pipe walnut sized rounds (leaving spaces between for some impressive rising) onto a lined tray. Use a wet knife to ‘cut’ the dough from the nozzle after each round.

Pat any peaks down gently with wet fingers and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until they are puffed up, golden and crisp. Take the profiteroles out of the oven and make a hole in the base of each one, return to the oven for another couple of minutes. Cool the profiteroles on a wire rack.

Fill the cooled choux buns with some cream, sweetened slightly with some icing sugar (you could also add vanilla extract if you like).

Ganache’s

200g dark chocolate

200ml double cream

a splash of Kahlua

Chop the chocolate finely and place in a bowl. Heat the cream to scalding point and pour over chocolate. Wait a few minutes for the chocolate to melt and then stir together to make a thick, shiny sauce. Add the Kahlua.

200g milk chocolate

200ml double cream

Repeat as above but leaving out the Kahlua (if you want to!).

200g white chocolate

170ml double cream

Repeat as above.

To assemble the cake:

Spread some ganache between each layer (I matched the colours for the ombre effect but fill it however you like). When the cake is filled, spread the remaining ganache on the sides of the cake, starting with dark at the bottom, milk in the middle and white at the top. You don’t have to be very careful with the lines as they will be blended when you smooth the ganache.

Using an offset spautula, dipped in hot water and wiped clean, smooth the sides of the cake, the chocolates will blend together to get the ombre effect. Using a turntable will help with this but it’s not essential.

Top the cake with the cream filled profiteroles, dipped in any leftover ganache.