Ingredients
Melted butter, to grease, plus extra 500g, chopped
200g white chocolate, chopped
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 x 395g cans sweetened condensed milk
120ml Frangelico or Baileys liqueur
4 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
600ml thickened cream, whipped
¼ cup thick caramel sauce, to serve (recipe, below)
3 fresh figs, cut into wedges
Blackberries, mini white meringues, hazelnuts, chocolate toffee shards (recipe, below), to garnish
Xanadu leaves and dusty miller leaves, to decorate (not for eating)
Method
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Preheat oven to 150 degrees C fan-forced (170 degrees C conventional). Grease two 20cm round cake tins with butter and line bases and sides with baking powder.
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Combine chocolate, sugar and extra butter in a large saucepan and stir over low heat until chocolate has melted. Pour in condensed milk and liqueur and cook, stirring constantly, for a further 2 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a large bowl and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
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Add eggs to cooled mixture and whisk until combined. Sift in flours, then stir with a hand whisk until just combined.
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Divide batter evenly between prepared tins. Bake for 1 hour 50 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool cakes in tins for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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Trim the top of the cooled cakes to level, then slice each cake in half horizontally using a serrated knife or cake leveller.
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To assemble the cake, put the base piece of one cake on a serving plate, cut side up. Spoon ¼ of the cream on top, then continue layering with cake and cream, ensuring the last layer of cake is the remaining base piece of cake, cut side down, and finishing with a layer of cream.
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Drizzle with caramel sauce, and arrange figs, blackberries, meringues, hazelnuts and shards on top. Decorate with leaves. Serve.
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CARAMEL SAUCE
To make a thick caramel sauce, combine 1 cup caster sugar and 125ml water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, for 8 minutes or until mixture turns rich golden. Remove from heat and immediately stir in 125ml thickened cream. Return to heat, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Set aside for 5 minutes, transfer to a heatproof bowl and chill for 1 hour or until cooled to desired consistency. Makes 1 cup.
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CHOCOLATE TOFFEE SHARDS
Step 1
Combine ½ cup caster sugar and 60ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until light amber in colour. Remove from heat and add 50g finely chopped dark chocolate, stirring until melted.
Step 2
Using a heatproof teaspoon, put a spoonful of mixture on a piece of non-stick baking paper and drag it to form a brush-stroke teardrop shape. Repeat to make 12 decorative shards. Set aside for 5 minutes or until set rock hard.
COOK'S TIP
When decorating with inedible flowers or leaves, always wrap the stems in floral tape to avoid sap getting onto the cake.