Ingredients
Units Scale
Cake
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 3/4 cups plain flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Icing
- 1/2 cup thickened cream (alternatively, sour cream)
- 250g white chocolate melts
- red food coloring
- green icing gel (or tinted buttercream frosting or royal icing)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 150C
- Grease and line one tall round pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients–sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add in the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, and mix well, before adding in the boiling water.
Batter will be thin.- Pour into the cake pan
- Bake 45-55 minutes in the oven. A wooden skewer test will come out sticky but not liquidy.
- Set aside until completely cool.
- Remove from the pan, slice off the lumpy top so it’s flat, then turn over.
Icing
- In a glass measuring cup, add in the cream.
- Drop in the food gel and mix until you have close to the right colour (a bit darker is best as you’ll be adding extra white from the chocolate).
- Stir in the white chocolate melts and zap on medium (50%) in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
- Remove and stir to remove any lumps.
- Place in the fridge to cool for 1-2 hours.
- Spoon onto the top of the cake, then use a palette knife or spatula to smooth and swirl the icing evenly across the top.
- Finish off by writing out ‘HAPPEE BIRTHDAE HARRY’ in green icing
- Draw in lines and ‘cracks’ with a knife.