For the hubsters birthday I decided to go with what he likes best..Cherries and White Chocolate! With some help from my little helpers!
Cake:
4oz Margarine
4oz Self Raising Flour
4oz Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2oz Black Cherries ( Tinned & De-stoned)
1 Tbsp Cherry syrup reduction
50g White Chocolate
Using a tin of black cherries and drain out the cherries from the syrup.
De-stone the cherries.
Add the syrup to a pan with 50g of sugar, and heat to a boil. Simmer for 5-10mins until the syrup thickens, and add back in the cherries 1/4 of the cherries.
Simmer for a few more minutes and allow to cool slightly.
Into a mixing bowl add the butter, flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder and vanilla and mix for about 2 mins.
Break up 50g of white chocolate into a glass bowl and melt in the microwave in 20 sec bursts stirring each time until completely melted.
Into the cake batter, add 2oz de-stoned cherries and the melted white chocolate and mix together.
Pour into 4inch (very small) greased cake tins. The Swirl in some of the black cherry syrup reduction.
Bake in the oven at 170c for 25-30mins.
Remove from the cake tin and allow to cool completely.
Frosting:
75g Butter ( room temperature)
300g Icing sugar
50g White Chocolate
Remaining Cherry syrup with cherries
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Milk
Mix on low-speed the butter and icing sugar, while melting some white chocolate. Add the milk and vanilla to the mixture, and slowly add the cherry syrup with cherries.
Once all combined, add the melted white chocolate.
Add some further icing sugar if needed.
Ice the cake using the frosting, both in the middle and although the way around the cake. Decorate the cake. I used chocolate fingers on the sides all the way around. Then added white giant chocolate buttons, with a circle of Malteasers, a mini bubbly chocolate bar in the middle circled with glazed cherries.
Topped with a few candles, an easy peasy cake ready in less than 2 hrs from start to finish!
