Chocolate Rose cake

After receiving such a fab teatowel off Lacey I decided to surprise her with a cake, to say thank you. 

It's a new recipe, I haven't tried before... One of the 'healthy cakes' that are made using vegetable instead off butter/oil. Can you imagine a healthy chocolate cake!! Yum

 

This is one of Harry Eastwood's recipes, I've made a couple of her cakes now and they've turned out rather good. I must say though it isn't half strange some on the veggies you use but HEY if it works it works! And following the response from Lacey's studio and can safely say I think it was a success!! :D

 

Chocolate Rose Cake

Recipe

3 Free-range eggs

160g Golden caster sugar

200g peeled & grated Butternut Squash

120g Rice flour (I use Doves)

3 tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

1/4 tsp Salt

125ml Buttermilk (you'll find this near the cream in the supermarket)

Chocolate Icing

50g Unsalted butter, softened

200g icing sugar, sieved

50g Mascarpone

4 tsp cocoa powder

Pre-heat the oven to 180oc . Line two 18inch sandwich tins with parchment and rub the sides with a bit of butter, so it doesn't stick.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 4 full minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the grated butternut squash, followed by the flour, cocoa powder, ground almonds, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add the buttermilk before beating again one last time to make sure that all the ingredients are well introduced to one another.

Pour the mixture evenly into both tins, then place in the middle of the oven for 30minutes (Now don't open the oven before 20mins! but do check around 25mins, depends on your oven...)

Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven, unmould, peel off the baking parchment and leave to cool down completely on a wire rack.

Whilst the cakes are cooling, start on making the icing (do not put the icing anywhere near the cake until it's stone cold). Beat the butter with 100g of the sugar in a large mixing bowl. You will need to work them together patiently, using a back of a spoon. It will seem like an impossible task at first, but they will eventually turn into a lovely paste.

Once you reach this stage, beat vigorously for 10 seconds to loosen the butter even further. Add mascarpone, cocoa powder and salt, as well as the remaining sugar. Beat once again to combine.

Spread half the icing on each sponge, placing one on top of another. Then cut the stems on several rose at around 2cm and place on the cake. Volia!

A light chocolate cake in more ways than one :D