Ostentatious chocolate cake

The inspiration for this chocolate cake and the decoration style specifically, came from Raspberri cupcakes one of my favourite blogs out there that I have been following lately. I did not use the recipe for the actual Rolo chocolate brownie cake instead I baked my own version of a mud cake and then topped it off with similar sweeties, both chocolate buttons filled with caramel and mint chocolate buttons with a caramel filling. For the cake filling I had some condensed milk cooked into caramel. Before decorating it, the cake was smothered in a chocolate ganache made of dark and milk chocolate. 

Mud cake base

250grams good quality dark chocolate
250grams butter (not margarine unless absolutely necessary)
2,5dl plain flour
2dl sugar
4 eggs
1-2tsp vanilla sugar
1tsp baking powder

1 roll of chocolate buttons (I had cloetta's center choccies)

Filling 

1 tin of condensed milk cooked into caramel for ~3hours (or buy the caramel ready cooked OR make you own caramel from scratch!)

Chocolate ganache icing

200grams good quality dark chocolate (as dark as you like)
200grams good quality milk chocolate (Fazer's works for me)
300ml double cream (full fat 35%)

4 rolls of chocolates (2 caramel & 2 minty ones) for decoration

Start by lining two 24 cm loose bottom cake tins with some parchment. Preheat oven to 200degrees. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a saucepan and set aside to cool, while preparing the cake batter. Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy. Slowly pour the chocolate and butter mixture into the batter, either stirring with a spatula or on a low setting with an electric whisk.
Sift the flour and baking powder and fold it into the batter using a spatula. Divide it then into the two prepared cake tins, pop in half a roll of chocolate buttons in each and bake for 20-25mins. (The cakes may be a little sticky, but not as much as if making a regular mud cake that should be super gooey.) Let the cakes cool completely. Spread the caramel filling onto one of the cakes and put it in the fridge to firm up a little. In the meantime make the chocolate ganache. Chop up the chocolate finely and place in a large bowl. Bring the cream to a boil (do not let it boil further). Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir it until smooth and silky. Chill the ganache in the fridge until thick but still spreadable. Assemble the cake by carefully placing the other base on top of the caramel filled base and pressing down slightly. Take a palette knife and spread the ganache over the cake starting at the top and going over the sides. It should be easily handled and not runny. If a smoother appearance is desired, heat the knife and run it over the cake, this will give a nice sheen to it.

Decorate to your own liking eg. with chocolate shavings, sweets or even berries to freshen things up!

Chocolate heaven!

Apple and chocolate cake waiting to be devoured!