Chocolate Cake Decadence aka Bruce Bogtrotter's Cake

I am in a celebratory mood today. Ireland have once again lifted the Six Nations trophy and I was there to see their winning performance in person!

With that in mind, the best way I can think to celebrate is to make a cake. A BIG cake.

I have a confession to make. It was one of my childhood goals to make and consume a “Bruce Bogtrotter” cake, from the book and movie Matilda. It was a reasonable goal, but also intimidating. That cake just looked so decadent and chocolatey. Could anything in “real life” measure up?

Just look at it!

Well, long story short, this isn’t a kick in the bum off what I imagine that boy feasted on in the book.

I love cake. Cake is the reason to sit through a main course. Cake is NOT a lie.

And I find a really quick way to make a cake look impressive is to make it three layers. Three layers just looks like you are a cake genius. I mean, I most definitely am, but it doesn’t hurt to show it off once in a while. I kid, I kid.

makes one massive three layer cake

Ingredients for the cake

• 400g plain flour
• 250g caster sugar
• 100g light brown muscovado sugar
• 50g cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 125ml buttermilk
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 175g butter, melted and cooled
• 125ml vegetable oil
• 250ml cold water

Ingredients for the fudge icing

• 150g chocolate (I used 2/3 dark, 1/3 milk chocolate)
• 200g unsalted butter
• 325g icing sugar (sifted)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line 3 cake tins.

Mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, leavening agents, and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.

Only adding this photo because of the double-yolked egg I got. Witchcraft!

In YET ANOTHER large bowl, whisk together the butter and corn oil until blended. Then whisk in the water.

Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix briefly until blended.

Finally add in the eggy mixture and whisk again until mixed and blended fully.

Pour into the prepared tins and place in the oven.

Bake for 40 minutes, check after 35. They are done when a tester knife comes out clean.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the tin, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.

To make the icing, first melt the chocolate.  Then beat the butter and sift in the icing sugar and beat again. Finally, stir though the chocolate until it is all smooth and blended.

Spread icing on top of two of the cakes, and sandwich all three together. 

Then ice on the top and sides, keeping it smooth but just a little messy so people don’t hate you. Decorate however you like. I, of course, have chocolate stars of different sizes on hand for just such an occasion, but sprinkles, dessicated coconut or grated chocolate would do just as well.

Slice, and serve to grateful guests.