martes, 8 de septiembre de 2009

Checkerboard Cake







This is a fun to make and different cake, astonishing and impressive, this cake will really test your culinary skills as well as your patience and stillness ability when assembling it. The idea came from the Autralian womens weekly (again) but I change their sponge recipe. So, here it is:









First, you will need a deep 19cms cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. You will need two different sponges, on plain and one chocolate, then you have to cut them into thick strips and glue them using the glaze.





Ingredients:



For the white sponge:



90g softened butter

90g sugar

3 medium eggs

120g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract





For the glaze



3/4 cup apricot jam

2 teaspoons powdered gelatine or 3 gelatine leaves





For the chocolate ganache



6 tablespoons milk

4 tablespoons double cream

3 tablespoon water

41/2 tablespoon glucose syrup

250g dark chocolate in chunks














Method:



For the plain sponge:



Mix the butter and the sugar, add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla, then the sifted flour and baking powder. Pour in the tin and bake at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes away clean. Stand cake 5 minutes before turning onto cooling rack.













For the chocolate sponge follow the same method but use 30 grams of cocoa powder, and 90g of plain flour.





Melt the ingredients for the ganache on a low heat, or the microwave, and cool to room temperature.Beat with wooden spoon until is thick and spreadable.













Once the cakes are done and cold, cut into equal strips. Heat the jam in the microwave and add the gelatine, (if you use the leaves soak it in cold water first). For assembling the cake, glaze every strip on all the sides (this will be the glue) and form a perfect square, alternating the colours. Spread the ganache all over the cake, store in the fridge for at least an hour, so it will be easier to cut it into slices, and enjoy this chocolate beauty....











24 comentarios:

  1. What a fun cake! I like how the top is glossy with chocolate!

    ResponderEliminar
  2. Wow that is amazing, it is way way out of my league!

    ResponderEliminar
  3. Qué bonito! Pero cuánto trabajo... desde luego es ideal para impresionar a los invitados :-)

    ResponderEliminar
  4. Gorgeous job! Looks like so much work, but totally worthwhile!

    I actually have round cake pans with plastic inserts... and you alternate pouring chocolate and yellow (or whatever batters you want) into the sections (basically 3 concentric circles) and you use 3 pans and then stack the cakes, and it makes the checkerboard pattern when you cut into it. They're from Pampered Chef.

    ResponderEliminar
  5. I love the way checkerboard cakes look! I've never made one because i always thought it would be difficult. I might change my mind about making it now that i've seen this! You could make some cute mini ones using this method as well!

    ResponderEliminar
  6. Nice to know you can do that stuff without buying a special pan huh?.... good job!

    ResponderEliminar
  7. A very pretty cake! It looks deliciously moist too. Lovely!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ResponderEliminar
  8. ¡Hola!
      Después de tu comentario en mi blog he querido pasarme a visitar el tuyo y ... me ha dejado sin palabras. ¡¡Que buenas recetas más!!
      Me gusta mucho. Te pongo en mis favoritos.
      Saludos desde Valencia (España)

    ResponderEliminar
  9. That cake looks phenomenal! Thanks for finding my blog so I could find yours, what beautiful things you have made. I love the variety and your photos are scrumptious!

    ResponderEliminar
  10. This looks so cute! You did an amazing job!

    ResponderEliminar
  11. eiiii, me ha gustado tu blog, y tus recetas también!!! así que te seguiré visitando...

    un saludo desde Barcelona
    Jorge

    ResponderEliminar
  12. This cake is stunning - dedication! Looks absolutely delicious though, so totally worth it :)

    ResponderEliminar
  13. This is one of those recipes that you look at the photo and think "Whoa. How'd they do that?" And yet, as you spell it out, it seems quite, well, doable! Not exactly easy, as it will challenge my architectural (not to mention spackling) skills, but I'm willing to give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration. :)

    Anyway, I found you through TasteSpotting and am writing to say that if you have any photos that aren’t accepted there, I’d love to publish them. Visit my new site (below), it’s a lot of fun! I hope you will consider it.

    Best,
    Casey
    Editor
    www.tastestopping.wordpress.com

    ResponderEliminar
  14. Que trabajo más bien hecho, me encanta como te ha quedado, lo rico que tiene que estar.... y las fotos me encantan.... ojalá pudiera llevarme un trozo que estoy desayunando.
    Un beso cielo

    ResponderEliminar
  15. what gorgeous definition! I haven't made a checkerboard cake or cookies yet, but love to eat them! looks yummy!

    ResponderEliminar
  16. Wow -- what an incredible effort. Congratulations are at hand. It looks simply divine.

    ResponderEliminar
  17. Por Dios estoy segura de que te habìa dejado un comentario como no lo veo, allà voy de nuevo. Gracias poor tu visita. me encanta tu blog y este cake es mara villoso, y se ve precioso, te mando besoos, gloria

    ResponderEliminar
  18. Absolutely gorgeous and delicious recipe.
    Beautiful pictures.
    Have a lovely weekend x

    ResponderEliminar
  19. Muy bonita, Pity!

    I am not sure I could have built it as neatly as you did, though.

    ResponderEliminar
  20. Wow, this cake is like a work of art, it must have taken you forever! Beautiful!!!

    ResponderEliminar
  21. Really Marvellous Cake... So wonderful.. tks for sharing the recipe.. cheers Olivia

    ResponderEliminar