Ingredients
4 cups caster sugar
3 cups water
500g unsalted butter, chopped
2 x 180g blocks dark chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp instant coffee
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups self-raising flour
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa
Liquorice strap, pink Mentos or marshmallow, unsprayed flowers, desiccated coconut, to decorate
Antlers, to top (instructions below)
Icing
375g unsalted butter, softened
4 ½ cups icing sugar mixture
1/2 cup cocoa
Method
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Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced). Grease and line two 20cm round, 5cm deep cake pans with baking paper.
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Put butter, chocolate, sugar, water, vanilla and coffee in a large saucepan. Stir over low heat, until melted. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Stir in eggs, sifted flours and cocoa.
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Pour mixture into pans. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes - 1 hour 45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean when tested. Cool in pans for 15 minutes. Turn onto wire rack to cool completely (preferably overnight).
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For the icing, put butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add combined sifted icing sugar mixture and cocoa and beat to combine.
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Trim cake tops level. Cut cakes in half horizontally. Spread 1 cake piece with icing. Repeat layering and cover outside of cake with icing.
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Press trimmed liquorice onto cake for eyes and Mentos for the nose. Insert antlers in top and decorate with flowers and coconut. Slice and serve.
Using enlarged template as a stencil, cut 2 antlers from brown paper. Attach each to a long bamboo skewer with a little sticky tape. Insert in cake.
Download the template for the reindeer antlers
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