Choc Mint, Hazelnut and Raspberry Layer Cake

Oh look I'm baking again! Ever since I did a 3-recipe series of "Berry Desserts" a couple of weeks ago, my personal style of "don't bake / make desserts much" is starting to change.. for the better! I mean, I still love my savoury dishes and Asian influenced dishes but baking is starting to be lots of fun especially since I can make such pretty looking things with the pretty colors of sweet things.

This recipe was inspired by a "fancy" version of this cake from Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine. What I've done is literally "dumbing it down" for baking newbies such as me. I've pretty much taken a short cut with the chocolate ganache, by substituting it with Nutella. And instead of using dark chocolate as base for the cake, I use a block of Cadbury Peppermint chocolate!! Yummmm... enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain flour

300g Cadbury Peppermint Chocolate

100g butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

8 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

400ml thickened cream

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 jar Nutella hazelnut spread

300g frozen raspberries

Extra icing sugar to dust

Method:

For chocolate cake, preheat oven to 160C. Melt peppermint chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, stir occasionally until melted, keep warm.

Whisk eggs and caster sugar in an electric mixer until pale and tripled in volume.

Meanwhile, triple-sieve flour and baking powder. Transfer egg mixture to a large bowl, sieve flour mixture over bowl, fold to combine. Fold in chocolate mixture, divide among two 20cm-diameter cake tins buttered and lined with baking paper and smooth tops. Bake, swapping tins between racks halfway through cooking, until centres spring back when lightly pressed (8-10 minutes), cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make four cakes. Wrap cakes individually in plastic wrap until required.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, whip cream and icing sugar until it becomes firmly stiff and fluffy.

To assemble, place a cake round on a serving plate, spread with Nutella to 5mm thick. Spread with one-third of whipped cream, sprinkle a handful of raspberries, top with another cake round. Repeat layers, finishing with a cake round. Spread remaining Nutella over top of cake and serve dusted with icing sugar and topped with extra raspberries.