Chocolate Berry Cake

This chocolate cake is super moist, pillow-soft and it's so easy to make. Instead of butter, this cake is make from cooking oil. The naked layers are piped with a smooth creamy mascarpone cream and heavily loaded with delicious berries.

The cake looks stunning and perfect for parties, anniversaries, birthdays or just simply enjoy a slice or two with family and friends.

Ingredient:

For the chocolate sponge cake:

• 175g self raising flour
• 2½ tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 2 eggs
• 130g castor sugar
• 150ml milk
• 150ml vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 225g cream cheese, softened
• 100g castor sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 140g Greek yogurt
• 600ml double cream

Fruits:

• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Blueberries

Method:

For the chocolate sponge: Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Grease 2x 8" sandwich pan and line the bottom with baking paper.

Sift flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate soda into a bowl and stir in the sugar.

In a jug, measure the oil and milk, then add the eggs, vanilla extract and mix together with a fork until combined.

Combine the wet with the dry ingredients and mix well. The cake mixture will be quiet wet. Pour the mixture into the prepared tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes until springy to touch or when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the tin for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove from tin and cool completely. Once the cake have cooled, storing them in the fridge for an hour or so makes this process of slicing the cake into half a little easier as the cake will firm up a bit.

To make the cream cheese frosting: Beat softened cream cheese and sugar together on high speed until sugar dissolves. 

Reduce the speed, add in the vanilla extract and Greek yogurt. Mix well again. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl to remove cream cheese lumps.

Finally add the double cream, start beating on low speed gradually increase the mixing speed as the cream becomes thicker. Once more, scrape the sides of the mixer bowl to make sure all the ingredients get incorporated and beat again for 30 seconds or so. DO NOT OVER BEAT the cream, it should be thick and pipe easily.

Assemble the cake: Place a chocolate sponge onto a cake platter of your choice. Pipe cream out on top of the sponge starting on the edge of the cake and working your way towards the middle. Push berries inside the cream. You may use as many berries as you like.

Place another chocolate sponge on top of the cream and berries and repeat the same steps. The top layer needs to be a little more presentable.  Layout berries nicely on top of the cream instead of pushing them in. Place half cut strawberries with stems for a beautiful touch of green.