White Chocolate Mud Cake

I make this cake for all white chocolate lovers - and yes there are a few of us out there amongst the dark obsessed! We all know it's not as healthy and full of antioxidants, and that it is just the butter, no cocoa etc - but it is soooo gooooood. I have always adored white chocolate and that love hasn't diminished as I grew up. I especially make this cake for birthdays, covered in paraphernalia - more delicious than a plain sponge I tell you! I sometimes even add a layer of ganache in the middle. Or for an adult birthday I like to add some lime zest in the cake batter and replace the thickened cream for coconut cream in the ganache. A decadent extra touch would be to top with almonds.

"Will keep up to a week. Cake suitable to freeze before icing. Chocolate mixture suitable to microwave."- Yolanda Derham.

 
Pictured: White Chocolate Mud Cake

250g butter, chopped
180g white chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cups (330g) caster sugar
¾ cup (180ml) milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 ½ cups (225g) plain flour
½ cup (75g) self-raising flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten

White Chocolate Ganache –
360g white chocolate
125ml thickened cream

Preheat the oven to 160°C, moderately slow. Grease and line a 22cm round cake pan – the cake does rise and therefore the pan needs to be deep and will need a baking paper collar of around 5 cm.

In a medium and heavy-based saucepan, combine the butter, chocolate, sugar and milk, and stir over a low heat until melted; transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 30 minutes as you will be adding the eggs and do not want them to begin cooking in this mixture.

Stir in the vanilla essence, then sift the flours over and gradually beat in to ensure the mixture is smooth, and then beat in the eggs. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 ½ hrs, and let cake cool in the pan before transferring to a plate.

White Chocolate Ganache – Combine the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and cool until mixture thickens.

Spread the cake with the ganache once the cake is cooled.

Serves 10 - 12