Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Cake base

• Cake flour: 200 - 220 g

• Cocoa powder: 40 - 50 g

• Casserole sugar: 200 - 220 g

• Eggs: 4 - 5

• Milk: 120 - 150 ml

• Corn oil: 100 - 120 ml

• Baking powder: 1 - 2 teaspoons

• Baking soda: 1 - 2 teaspoons

• Salt: 1 - 2 g

Chocolate buttercream

• Dark chocolate: 200 - 250 g

• Cream: 300 - 350 ml

• Butter: 100 - 120 g

• Powdered sugar: 50 - 70 g

Decoration materials

• Fresh strawberries: 8 - 10

• Blueberries: 15 - 20

• Cherries: 6 - 8

• Chocolate mushrooms (homemade or purchased): 4 - 6

• Mint leaves: appropriate amount

• Powdered sugar (for dusting): appropriate amount

• Tea rubs: 3- 5g

Instructions

Making the cake body

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Grease two 8-inch cake pans with butter and sprinkle with flour.

3. Separate the egg whites and yolks and place them in two clean bowls.

4. Add milk, corn oil and half of the caster sugar to the egg yolks and mix well.

5. In another bowl, sift the low-gluten flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the egg yolk mixture and stir into a smooth batter.

6. Beat the egg whites and add the remaining caster sugar in three batches until the egg whites form stiff peaks.

7. Add one-third of the meringue to the batter and stir well, then pour the batter into the remaining meringue and stir gently.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

9. Remove the baked cake and cool it on a cooling rack.

Make the chocolate buttercream

1. Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces, put it in a bowl and melt it over a water bath.

2. In another bowl, whip the whipped cream until soft peaks form.

3. Add butter and icing sugar to the melted chocolate and mix well, then add the whipped cream and continue to mix until a smooth buttercream forms.

Assemble the cake

1. Flatten the bottom of the cooled cake. If the top of the cake is bulging, you can shave it off.

2. Place one layer of cake on the cake base, spread a layer of chocolate buttercream evenly, place the second layer of cake on it, and spread another layer of buttercream.

3. Spread buttercream on the sides and top of the cake, using a scraper or spatula to create a bark texture.

Decorate the cake

1. Arrange fresh strawberries, blueberries, cherries and chocolate mushrooms on the top of the cake as you like.

2. Garnish with mint leaves and sprinkle with some icing sugar and tea rubs to make it more beautiful.