Chocolate Sponge Cake and Happy Birthday Captain Tom!
Today is Colonel Tom’s 100th birthday.
On the 6th April 2020, Captain Tom Moore set himself the target of walking one hundred 25 metre laps in his garden before his 100th birthday today, the 30th April 2020. His target was to raise £1000 for our NHS heroes through the NHS Charities Together. The world is being strangled by COVID 19 and Britain, currently recording the 3rd highest death rate in the world, is experiencing a period of unprecedented challenges, not seen since the Second World War.
We have heard many inspirational stories of humanity, love, support and kindness but one man has inspired and captured the hearts of our nation and the wider international community. Wearing his wartime medals and walking with confidence and dignity supported by his zimmer frame, he has raised nearly £32 million pounds, had a number one hit record with Michael Ball, broken two world records and been bestowed with the honorary title of Colonel of his war time regiment. Happy Birthday Colonel Tom.
Today we raise a glass to this incredible man, a national treasure, and eat a slice of chocolate birthday cake in his honour. If you would like to donate please click here to take you to his fundraising page.
Tom’s bio as written on his Just Giving Page:
‘Tom was born and brought up in Keighley, Yorkshire. He went to Keighley Grammar School and later completed an apprenticeship as a Civil Engineer. Tom went onto being enlisted in 8 DWR (145 RAC) at the beginning of the war, and in 1940 was selected for Officer training. He was later posted to 9DWR in India, and served and fought on the Arakan, went to Regiment to Sumatra after the Japanese surrender and returned to be Instructor at Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Bovington.’
I decided to make a chocolate cake to celebrate his birthday. I have no idea if he likes chocolate cake but frankly who doesn’t? I cannot think of a situation or occasion when a light and fluffy chocolate sponge cake smothered in a smooth, creamy chocolate buttercream would not be appropriate! This cake is based on my Sponge Cake – Core Recipe which has been made since Victorian times. A cake familiar to him for the whole of his life – although I doubt he would have eaten it during the war years and years of rationing afterwards!
How to make Chocolate Sponge Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing
This recipe is delicious in its simplicity:
- make the Classic Sponge – Core Recipe, adding some cocoa and a tiny bit of coffee to enhance the chocolate flavour. When using cocoa, it is important to sieve it first to remove the lumps. (For more guidance on making the sponge, please refer back to this Core recipe here.)
- make a batch of classic buttercream – butter, icing sugar, sieved cocoa, bit of coffee, salt and if necessary a drop of milk
- sandwich and cover the cakes with the buttercream
- decorate with chocolate shavings
Quick, easy and all made in one bowl. Collect all your ingredients for the cake together:
- unsalted butter
- caster sugar
- eggs
- plain flour
- cocoa
- instant coffee
- baking powder
- salt
- milk
It is important to make sure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat easily with the other ingredients. I place my mixing bowl on top my scales and weigh everything directly into the bowl. Ideally, you should sieve the flour, although I confess I don’t always do this! The best way to do it though is to place the sieve on top of the bowl, zero the scales, weigh in the flour and then shake the sieve. Use an electric whisk to beat until combined. All done.
First make the cake:
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Chocolate Buttercream Icing:
Collect all your ingredients for the cake together:
- unsalted butter
- fine salt
- icing sugar
- cocoa
- instant coffee
- milk
- 8 roast pecan halves
It is important to make sure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat easily with the icing sugar, cocoa and salt. You need to whisk the buttercream but I add the icing sugar in two halves, folding it in with a spatula before whisking. This will avoid a cloud of icing sugar over the kitchen and a long and boring clean up! I also fold in the cocoa before I whisk it. Sandwich the two cakes together and decorate with the chocolate shavings.
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Made this recipe?
If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.
Chocolate Sponge Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
I cannot think of a situation or occasion when a light and fluffy chocolate sponge smothered in a smooth, creamy chocolate buttercream would not be appropriate!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 130g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 130g caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk
- 100g plain/all-purpose flour, sieved
- 30g cocoa, sieved
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee
For the chocolate buttercream and topping:
- 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 220g icing sugar, sieved
- 30g cocoa, sieved
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee mixed with 1 teaspoon hot water
- ½ – 1 tablespoon milk
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons chocolate shavings
Instructions
For the cake:
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4
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Grease and line your cake tins or insert cake tin liners.
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Weigh the butter into a mixing bowl and ensure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If not soften it slightly in the microwave. (Be very careful not to melt it though – just do 5 seconds at a time if you are unsure.)
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Add the salt, sugar, eggs and milk to the butter. Put the mixing bowl on the scales, balance the sieve on the bowl and zero the scales.
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Weigh the flour and cocoa directly onto the sieve and add the baking powder and coffee. Lift the sieve above the bowl and shake the sieve. You may need to use a spoon to press through any remaining lumps of cocoa.
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Whisk thoroughly with an electric whisk until just combined. This should take around 40 seconds – 1 minute and no more.
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Transfer to the prepared cake tins (see Recipe Notes) and cook in the centre of the oven for 18 – 22 minutes or until the sponge is cooked. It is cooked when:
– the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains
– a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean
– the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin.
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Take out of the oven and leave for 5 minutes. Remove the cakes from the tins onto a cooling rack. Leave to cool.
For the chocolate buttercream and topping:
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Weigh the butter into a mixing bowl and ensure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If not soften it slightly in the microwave. (Be very careful not to melt it though – just do 5 seconds at a time if you are unsure.)
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Whisk the butter and salt until light and fluffy. Put the mixing bowl on the scales, balance the sieve on the bowl and zero the scales. Weigh in half the icing sugar and sieve. Quickly fold in with a spoon (this is to stop the icing sugar clouding up and making a mess of your kitchen!) Whisk until light and fluffy.
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Repeat with the remaining icing sugar and beat well.
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Add the coffee and ½ tablespoon milk and put the mixing bowl on the scales, balance the sieve on the bowl and zero the scales. Weigh in the cocoa and sieve. You may need to use a spoon to press any remaining lumps of cocoa through.
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Quickly fold in with a spoon and then whisk thoroughly for a minute or two until light, smooth, creamy and fluffy. If necessary, add some extra milk.
Assemble the cake:
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Put some strips of foil or baking parchment on a plate. Turn one of the cakes up side down and place in the centre of a serving plate so the flat side faces up. Ensure there are strips of foil or parchemnt under the edges of the cake. You will remove these, they just help to keep the plate clean.
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Spread roughly ⅓ of the buttercream over the cake ensuring you spread it to the edges.
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Place the second cake on top, flat side down.
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Use the remaining buttercream to spread over the top and sides of the cake. Use your knife to make a decorative swirling pattern
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Scatter over chocolate shavings. (I make these by using a potato peeler to shave chocolate off the side of a block of chocolate.)
Recipe Notes
Equipment
- 2 x 7inch round cake tins, greased and lined with baking parchment or a cake tin liner
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- mixing bowl
- electric whisk
- baking dish/cake tins
- sieve
- cooling rack
Balancing the cake tins:
- It is important that both tins have as equal amount of batter as possible. You can do it by eye but this is a really simple way to be accurate. To do this, I:
- put a cake tin on the scales and zero the scales
- add half the batter – it should weight between 255g – 260g. Take off the scales
- place the second empty tin on the scales and check it has gone back to zero
- add the remaining batter and check it is the same weight. If not adjust.
For a larger cake, use 3 eggs and 2 x 8 inch cake tins:
- 195g unsalted butter
- 195g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 150g plain/all-purpose flour
- 45g cocoa
- 1¾ plus ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon instant coffee
- ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 1½ tablespoons milk
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