Mama's Chocolate Overload Cake

The kids came home with amazing school reports this week - both of them were praised for being polite, well mannered, quick to learn and eager to please. Like me, they both struggle to cope with making mistakes and getting things wrong, but really, if their biggest problem is being too keen to do well, I have little to complain about!

They were at their dad's this weekend, so I decided to surprise them on their return with a well deserved celebration cake.

This cake ticks all the boxes - rich, moist chocolate sponge, sandwiched together with thick chocolate frosting, covered with even more frosting, surrounded with Kit Kats, and topped with a metric crapload of M&Ms. Oh yeah baby, I don't call this Mama's Chocolate Overload Cake for nothing!

I've always wanted to be one of THOSE mums - you know, the kind who sweep into the party with a beautiful, stunningly artistic, gorgeously decorated cake, and casually say "Oh, this old thing? I made it myself!"

Yeah, but that's not me. Baking, I can do. Cake decorating? Not so much. I have neither the time or the patience to be delicately creating intricate flowers out of sugarpaste. Think of this as the sloppy girl's celebration cake. It looks fab, but secretly takes very little time or effort to put together. Shhh! Don't tell anyone.....

MAMA'S CHOCOLATE OVERLOAD CAKE

The cake itself is actually Nigella Lawson's "Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake", it's my go-to chocolate cake recipe:

CAKE

200g plain flour

200g caster sugar

1tsp baking powder

1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda

40g cocoa powder

175g soft unsalted butter

2 large eggs

2tsps vanilla extract

150ml sour cream

ICING

75g unsalted butter

175g dark chocolate, broken into squares

300g icing sugar

1tbsp golden syrup

125ml sour cream

1tsp vanilla extract

DECORATION

19 Kit Kats

2 Large bags M&Ms

Tealight holder and tealight

Ribbon

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180c and line and butter two 8in sandwich tins with removable bases (I use sillicone ones instead)

Now put all of the cake ingredients into a food processor or stand mixer and mix until you have a smooth, thick batter.

Divide this batter into your two cake tins and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is springy and a skewer comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To make the icing, melt the butter and chocolate together either in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water. 

Allow to cool a little, then mix in the syrup, sour cream and vanilla, then whisk in the icing sugar. The icing should be thick enough to coat the cake without dripping off.

To decorate, place one of the cakes on a plate, then spoon 1/3 of the icing on the top and smoth it over until it evenly covers the top. Place the second cake on top to sandwich together.

Take another 1/3 of the icing and smooth over the top of the second cake. Use the last 1/3 to smooth around the sides of the sandwiched cake, making sure the entire cake is covered in icing. Save a small amount of icing for decoration.

To decorate, place the Kit Kats around the perimiter of the cake, the icing will act as a cement, sticking the Kit Kats in place.

Take the tealight holder and cover the outside of it with icing. Press M&Ms into the icing to decorate, and place in the centre of the cake.

Pour M&Ms onto the top of the cake to cover. 

Wrap ribbon around the bottom of the cake.

Light the candle and feel very clever :)

This cake is perfect for any occasion. Birthday? Nothing says Happy Birthday like chocolate. Success? Say Well Done with chocolate. Recently been dumped? Chocolate is the answer. Chocolate will never let you down. Celebration buddy, mender of broken hearts, chocolate is there for you.

The kids went nuts when they came home! Charlie said "Oh My God, it's amazing!", and Daisy announced it was "The best, most beautiful cake you've ever made"

Try it. You won't regret it.*

*DISCLAIMER: MAMA...BARE TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY WEIGHT GAIN, PROPOSALS OF MARRIAGE OR DROOLING CHILDREN THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE MAKING OF THIS CAKE.