Cakey Baker

Last weekend we had a family get together. My sister in law was over from America with the children so it was a good time to meet up and celebrate all the birthdays, fathers day, and other special days that happen when we are apart.

The most recent birthday was that of my younger brother, so I set about making him a cake.

I started with my favourite mix of beetroot and chocolate.

This makes lovely moist,chocolatey cakes that are ever so slightly pink.

I wanted the cake to be memorable and had a look online for ideas. I kept seeing 'gravity cakes'... Seriously, search for them..there are loads. They look like a stream of chocolate balls are pouring down onto the cake, but at the same time defying gravity.

While there are lots of photos I didn't see any detailed explanations, so just had to wing it.

Usually I would make up a batch of butter icing, but for a change I made a ganache. Here I met my first challenge... Getting it to stiffen up enough to spread.

The reason for the difficulty, well this turned out to be one of the hottest days possible... Not ideal baking weather.

Eventually the ganache was ready, this was spread between the cakes and also on the top.

Now, how to suspend the choc balls?. I grouped 4wooden skewers together and pushed then right down into the middle of the cake. Then I covered the top with choc balls.

The sides had more ganache added, then choc fingers placed upright all around the cake...leaving a gap at the front.

Now for the tower construction. Using 2colour balls i added 4around the skewers. Then took another 4, dipped them in melted chocolate and cemented them around the sticks ...effectively gluing them to the previous layer.

Now into the fridge for 10mins. You have to do this after every layer of 4. I tried to do 2layers at once and they just collapsed. So 4balls on and into the fridge...another 4balls on and into the fridge...

Not difficult, just very time consuming.

Once the tower was built, the rest of the balls were placed at the front of the cake.. as if spilling down.

The final touch is to add the packet, resting just atop the wooden skewers/choc balls tower. To give the impression they are falling out of the packet.

As I built up the tower I found it would not fit in my fridge, by the end I had to take out all the shelves and squash everything ,that could not be safely left out, into the chiller drawers.

So the cake spent the night like this.

Next morning came the challenge of how to deliver it. We had a 90mins car journey ahead of us..and it was getting warm!!!

I stood the cake in a plastic box..then in a bag...then in another bag. Between all the layers I added freezer blocks.

This was all sat on my knee in the car...with the aircon on too blowing right at me.

This was my view for 90mins, by the time we got there I was sooooo cold lol

But the cake made it intact. We added sparklers and sang Happy Birthday to my brother...

Then we dived in...

No chocolatey ball was safe from little fingers...

And pretty soon, this is all that was left.

Oh and it was very tasty.

Darcy x