Chocolate and Salted Caramel Wreath Cake

***Serves 12-14***

The most delicious and festive cake to wow your guests at your Christmas gathering!

Ingredients:

Chocolate Sponge:

225g plain flour
325g caster sugar
80g cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 large eggs
225ml milk
100ml vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla essence
125ml boiling water

Chocolate Ganache:

150ml double cream
150ml butter
180g dark chocolate
Pinch of salt

Filling:

150g salted caramel

Buttercream:

250g unsalted butter
500g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
whole milk
2-3 tbsp cocoa powder (for the chocolate filling)
Green food colouring (for the wreath)

To decorate:

Baileys Chocolates (for baubles)
Sprigs of rosemary
Cranberries or redcurrants
Edible glitter (optional!)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius (fan)
Add all the ingredients into a large bowl (apart from the boiling water), making sure to sift all the dry ingredients first, and mix together with a hand or electric whisk until smooth
Slowly add the boiling water, mixing as you go until fully combined.
Divide evenly between two greased 8 inch savarin cake tins ( or just regular ones, you can cut out the centre!)
Bake for 20-25 minutes until a knife comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out and letting cool fully (if you're making a day ahead, wrap the sponges in cling film while still slightly warm, it will keep them nice and moist!).
For the ganache, heat the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted, then remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Leave to cool (stir occasionally) until it thickens up to a spreading consistency.
Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Make sure the butter is at room temperature, and cream together with the icing sugar until smooth and pale. Add the vanilla and a tbsp or two of the milk to loosen, and then take out two thirds, and add the cocoa powder - you can make it more or less chocolately to your taste. You might need to add more milk to get it to a piping consistency. Set aside the rest.
To assemble the cake, level off the sponges with a serrated knife. Smooth a thin layer of the chocolate buttercream over the top of one layer, and pipe a ring of buttercream around the inside and outside circle, to create a well for the salted caramel and to stop it from oozing out.
Fill with the salted caramel and then place the other sponge on top. Use any leftover buttercream to fill in any gaps between the sponges.
Coat the cake in a thin layer of the ganache, using a palette knife or cake scraper to smooth, to create the crumb coat. Place this in the fridge to set before adding a thicker outer layer of ganache. This doesn’t have to be smooth.
Finish by adding some green food colouring to the leftover buttercream and piping your wreath design on top.
Add the sprigs of rosemary, Baileys chocolate baubles, and berries to the full effect!
Enjoy!