Has anyone made the Hummingbird Bakery Sweet & Salty Chocolate Cake?

[EqualStevens]

DP has requested "chocolate heaven" for his birthday cake this weekend and I'm on a mission to bake the best chocolate cake EVER. This one looks like it could be it, but wondered if anyone has tried it? It's in the Cake Days book.

If not - can anyone recommend a tried and tested AMAZING chocolate cake which will serve 12-15?

We've almost done that one a few times, because it does look fab, but was a bit frightened.

DH and the DCs now love this one though. It is easy to make, ridiculously indulgent, and the DCs have a brilliant time with sprinkles, glitter etc to birthday it up. Because the chocolate sauce is poured over, ours tends to look slightly messy, but putting on the top layer upsides down means that it doesn't just run straight off. We use extra raspberries and no strawberries in the filling, but that's because most of our birthdays are winter.

gorgeous Jamie Oliver party cake

It isn't huge, but is so rich, I'd think you'd get 12 out of it easily, or you could make 2!

I've made it (for my birthday!). It was delicious and very very indulgent. Absolutely massive, so we ended up throwing some away because we just couldn't get through it. I've made some of their other 3/4 layer cakes and halved the recipe to make a more standard 2 layer cake which is a bit more manageable so if I was going to make it again, I'd do that again.

It is quite fiddly to make (took up most of an afternoon) but not that difficult really. I found that the first lot of caramel was a bit too runny so I'd hold my nerve and cook it for a bit longer next time to get the consistency right. Still yummy though.

I don't mind fiddly - I think birthdays are perfect for dedicating a whole afternoon to a single cake!

I got a sugar thermometer for Christmas which I've yet to use, I wonder if it would help to look up the temperatures for the caramel? that's what I'm most worried about losing my nerve over!

Sugar thermometer would probably help if you can find the temperatures online. I was worried because I read a blog post from someone who burnt the caramel but then I think they said they hadn't watched it and had just left it so as long as you're keeping an eye on it and the colour it should be fine. It was still delicious even with runny caramel :) I got the caramel perfect second time round so it isn't too hard.

The ebst chocolate cake EVER is Nigella's chocolate Guiness cake - just trust me on that. I guarantee that it is a) ridiculously easy to make b) stunning to look at and c) bloomin' delicious. Even if you/he don't like Guiness, do consider it because it is Cake Nirvana.

The Brooklyn Blackout Cake from Hummingbird is also very good. Don't be put off by the custard, it's very easy.

Done the Brooklyn Blackout Cake very recently - LOVED it but I don't like doing the same thing twice in too quick succession!

I heart Guinness, so am sorely tempted to give it a whirl.

I admit that with the chocolate guinness cake I do, the Guinness gives a wonderful flavour to the chocolate, they are a superb match.

Not for a birthday cake but whisky brownies are similarly gorgeous.

Does it still scream chocolate though? I don't want Guinness to become the main event...

I'm too in love with Nigel Slater's brownies to ever try any others! They are the only recipe that I make regularly without tweaking.

Ah, I'm not keen on Nigel's brownies. Although the ultimate chocolate brownie from BBCGoodFood is awesome. They have an ultimate chocolate cake recipe as well which is very highly rated. I've tried it a couple of times and had total disasters which is unusual but possibly wrong cake tin or something.

I don't think my guinness cake recipe is Nigella's but I can't be sure, I copied it out of somewhere years ago. It does scream chocolate, but not as much as the outrageously indulgent Sweet and Salty Chocolate Cake IMO.

this is the best

Yes the Gunness cake still screams chocolate (it ought to, as it has masses of cocoa in it - I use Green and Blacks).

Recipe for whisky brownies please? I used to make a fab whisky and maple syrup cake but have lost the recipe.