Lara's Sweet Sixteen

A very Special treat for a very Special Daughter!  You don't need fancy cake utensils but some ideas and a mind full of beautiful colours!  Happy Birthday Lara!!

Dark Chocolate Cake

250g unsalted butter

6 eggs

2 2/3 cup castor sugar

3 1/2 cups self raising flour

2/3 cup cocoa

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup espresso coffee

4 tbsp Tia Maria

White Chocolate Cake 

125g Unsalted Butter

1 cup white chocolate melts

3 eggs

1 cup castor sugar

1 1/2 cup self Raising Flour

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/3 cup cornflour

3/4 cup milk

2 tbsp brandy

250g Nutella

600g Marzipan

600g White Sugar Pastry

Pink food colouring

100g Chocolate Paste

1 egg white

2 cups icing sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Make the Dark Chocolate cake by cut the butter in small cubes,and combine with sifted flour cocoa and bicarbonate and the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 1 min or until mixture is well mixed. Turn speed to maximum and mix for 3 minutes. 

Make the White Chocolate cake by melting white chocolate over baine Marie, add milk and stir till all combined.  In a food mixer cut the butter in small cubes cream with sugar, add the remaining ingredients and white chocolate mix and mix for 2 minutes.

Grease two cake tins of 30cm diameter and two cake tins of 20cm diameter.  Pour dark cake mix dividing mixture so that each cake tin has the same height of mixture.  Pour over scattered tablespoosn of white cake mixture and make some swirls using a metal skewer.  Bake in a pre  heated oven 170c for 1/2 an hour or until skewer comes clean when tested.  Turn to wire rack and cool.

Prepare the royal icing by beating lightly the egg white, add lemon juice and slowly add sifted icing sugar beating vigorously to achieve the required texture. Spoon to piping bag with small star nozzle fitting. 

Sandwich the two large cakes and the two small cakes separately with nutella filling. Brush with apricot Glaze, cover with marzipan.  Take 400g of white sugar pastry and tint with pink colour. Take approx 100g of pink pastry and divide into four rol1 approx 20cm long . Make 6 matching rolls of white pastry. Place alternate colour rolls next to each other. Flatten with rolling pin and roll to form a striped pastry. Cover the small cake.

Roll out the remaining pink sugar pastry and cover the large cake.  Place large cake on cake board, and place the small cake on top.

Make fans of chocolate paste and stick to cake with some royal icing.  Pipe the birthday words with royal icing and decorate with coloured roses. Cover cake seams by piping royal icing.