Serve these fancy chocolate desserts at your next party to impress guests

Are you planning a party? There’s a lot that goes into that, from venue to theme and music to guest list and food. So we’ll make the desserts easier for you. Plan a spread of fancy chocolate desserts, including a chocolate cake, a Chocolate Fondue and some Chocolate Covered Strawberries. This chocolate cake is easy to make and rich and decadent in taste. Remember to pay attention to the notes and details and we’re sure you’ll be able to make it yourself. And don't forget to have fun with it and enjoy your party!

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 200 gm golden caster sugar
• 200 gm unsalted butter, softened plus extra for the tins
• 4 large eggs
• 200 gm self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk

For the buttercream:

• 100 gm milk chocolate, chopped
• 200 gm butter, softened
• 400 gm icing sugar
• 5 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp milk

For the chocolate shards (optional):

• 50 gm dark chocolate
• 25 gm milk chocolate
• 25 gm white chocolate

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F or 177°C.
• Grease two cake tins and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a bowl, sift in the flour, cocoa powder and add the baking powder and salt. Give it a good mix and set aside.
• In another bowl, add the butter and beat with a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment until smooth and fluffy. Then add the caster sugar and beat until all the sugar has dissolved. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, and beat them in too. Then add the vanilla extract and milk and beat that in too, until it forms a smooth mixture.
• Now it's time to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. First, add two spoonfuls of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, beat that in, then add another two spoons and mix that in too. Continue in this way, adding and beating, till all the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed in and you have a thick batter.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tins. Bake for about 20 minutes. The exact time will depend on the machine you're using. You’ll know it's done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Once baked, set them aside to cool on a wire rack.
• In the meantime, make the buttercream. In a bowl, add the roughly chopped chocolate. Place in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 15 seconds. Then stop and give it a stir. Then put it back in the microwave and heat for another 15 seconds, then stir again. Continue in this way, until all the chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, add the butter and sugar and mix together with a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Then add the cocoa powder and salt and mix that in. Now pour the melted chocolate and milk into the mixture and beat until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and drop it back in the middle so that everything is evenly mixed in. There should be no lumps or streaks.
• Now level the cakes with a knife if needed. Place the first cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with a generous layer of the buttercream. Then add the other layer on top and cover that with the buttercream too.
• Decorate with chocolate shards or shavings, if you prefer. To make the chocolate shards, melt the dark chocolate and pour it into a tray. Then melt the milk chocolate and white chocolate and drizzle them over the dark chocolate. Let the mixture set and then cut into shards. Gently place the shards on the cake.
• Slice and serve.

Notes, tips and tricks:

• Make sure the butter is at room temperature before using in the cake. If you use butter that’s cold, it won't mix in properly and the batter will be clumpy. If you melt the butter, it will become liquidy and the resultant batter will be too runny. So it's best to use room temperature butter. First, let the butter sit out for an hour, then start the baking process.