white chocolate and raspberry cake

i made this cake two weeks ago now, but unfortunately i was struck down with flu last weekend which meant there has been an absence of activity (aside from battling through feverish delirium to try and get some sleep, flu is not the one). but it does mean that i get the chance to remember this cake all over again - because it was really delicious. raspberries have to be up there with my favourite fruits and they are just so good in bakes.

the recipe is also really simple, which is always good. you start with a basic sponge mix. i've been mixing my bakes by hand recently - something i used to avoid at all costs but i now find it quite satisfying (it also means i don't have to faff around getting the whisk out, laziness always wins out).

the recipe i used is from the clandestine cake club book - another book that i bought a while ago and had yet to use (beyond drooling over the pictures, naturally).

such a beautiful cover - i love the blue

 

  a moment's appreciation for how glossy this mixture is!

 at this point you deviate from a normal sponge by stirring in the raspberries. as the recipe states, it's important to be gentle when folding them in - otherwise they will break up and you won't get a full burst of raspberry goodness.

 look at the incredible colour contrast

 

now comes the exciting part - covering the cake in chocolate!

i deviated fractionally from the recipe here, by using the full 150g bar of chocolate rather than the 125g the recipe called from (because, chocolate). however i do not think there is any way they used anywhere near that much, because the picture in the book had a tiny dribble of chocolate! but more chocolate is always better.

i learnt an important lesson in decorating this cake: allow chocolate to cool before piping it! i put the chocolate straight from the bain marie into the piping bag and picked it up. SUCH a mistake. my hand was throbbing for hours afterwards! and it also meant my piping was sloppier than usual as i was struggling to hold it. so there's an important lesson for us all there.

another baking tip: put your piping bag in a glass so it is supported while you fill it - especially useful when both hands are needed to hold a pyrex dish full of hot chocolate!

 

 

 who doesn't enjoy a good piping action shot? 

 here is the finished cake in all of it's smothered in chocolate glory; but of course the best bit is cutting it to reveal the raspberries...

this cake was really fun to make and another hit in the office (although very crumbly so the carpet was a bit worse off!). what are your favourite recipes featuring raspberries? i'd love to know!

as i'm writing this, i have a golden syrup cake in the oven - so look out for that making an appearance soon!

love,
nen
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