Easy Chocolate Layer Cake

This is a simple way of making a chocolate layer cake, it's so easy anyone can do it!

Watch the video to check out the method!

I said this was easy, so to start with use a cake box mix, I used Betty Crocker devils food cake box mix. This gives two 8inch cakes. Make according to the instructions.

Once the cakes have cooked, leave them to cool. In the mean time you can make the chocolate ganache.

For the ganache you'll need equal parts of double cream (heavy cream US) and dark chocolate (70% cocoa). Don't worry if you don't like dark chocolate, once it mixes with the cream it'll be sweeter. I used 400ml of cream and 400g of chocolate.

• First of all heat up the cream, I microwaved the cream for 30 seconds and then added in 100g of the chocolate, mixed and then put it in the microwave again for another 30 seconds.
• Once the first 100g of chocolate is blended in, continue adding chocolate and mixing together.
• If the chocolate no longer melts into the cream when mixing, microwave at intervals of 15-30 seconds and give it a good mix in-between blasts in the microwave.
• When the chocolate has melted in, leave to cool, until around room temperature. You want to be able to pour it, if there's any confusion around this watch the video to see the consistency of my ganache

Please note: you don't want the ganache mixture to be bubbling over or too hot as the cream can split and the chocolate can burn. If you are nervous about microwaving the cream and chocolate, use a double boiler.

Lightly grease an 8inch cake tin with a with a removable bottom.

Make sure the cake is no longer warm as the ganache will melt and the cake will then soak up too much of the ganache, causing it not to have layers!

• Grab one of the cakes and slice a layer as thin as you can using a cake slicer or a sharp knife.
• Place in the bottom of the cake tin, cover the cake with a layer of the chocolate ganache, make sure to push the ganache down the sides.
• Slice the cake again and cover with ganache, again make sure to get the ganache around the sides. Keep going until you run out of cake and ganache!

Don't worry if your slices don't stay together, just cover up the previous layer of ganache as much as you can with cake and then cover over with more ganache, always remember to pour the chocolate ganache down the sides of the cake too. Make sure your last layer is chocolate ganache!

For a final touch you can hold a spoon on the top and rotate the cake tin in a circle and slowly move the spoon towards the centre. This will give the swirl effect I have at the top. Leave to set for at least an hour in the fridge, the ganache will then harden slightly.

Once the cake has chilled in the fridge for at least an hour you can then remove the cake from the tin. Use a can and carefully push the the cake down onto this to release the cake from the tin.

Enjoy!