Churros Cake

Ingredients

 

For the Cake

340g Butter (unsalted)
340g Billington’s Light Brown Soft Sugar
6 Eggs (large)
340g Allinson’s self raising wholemeal flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tbsp Ground cinnamon
2 tbsp Milk (whole)

For the Churros

 

225ml Water
115g Butter (unsalted)
1 tsp Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
145g Allinson’s Plain White Flour
1 tsp Salt
3 Eggs (large)
115g Billington’s Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon for dusting

For the Icing

 

150g Dark chocolate (melted)
250g Silver Spoon Icing Sugar
125g Butter (unsalted, softened)
1 tbsp Cinnamon
2 tbsp Milk (whole)

Method

 

• Step 1: Preheat your oven to 190ºc/170ºc fan/gas mark 5. Grease and line the bases of 3 20cm loose bottomed sandwich tins.

• Step 2: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of flour with each one to stop the mixture curdling.

 

• Step 3: Once the eggs have been added, sift in the remaining flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Tip in any bran left in the sieve.

• Step 4: Gently fold in the flour and finally the milk until the batter has a soft dropping consistency.

 

• Step 5: Divide the mixture evenly between the three tins and bake for 28 minutes. Check to see if the sponges spring back. They may need an additional 3 minutes and perhaps moving up in the oven if they have been baking on a lower shelf.

• Step 6: When the sponges are cooked, allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

 

• Step 7: To make the churros, heat the oven to 200c/180fan/Gas6 and line 2 baking trays with parchment. Place the water, butter and sugar into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.

• Step 8: When the liquid is simmering, remove from the heat and shoot in the flour. Beat vigorously until the mixture form a ball. Place back on the heat and stir for one minute. Remove form the heat and set aside.

 

• Step 9: Beat the eggs in a jug together with the vanilla. Gradually beat this mixture into the flour mixture in the pan a quarter at a time. The mixture will seem slimy, but when beaten vigorously it will become a stiff, elastic paste.

• Step 10: Prepare a piping bag with an open star nozzle and pipe 10cm lengths on the lined trays, leaving space for them to expand. Bake for 18 minutes and then allow to dry out in the turned off oven for 10 minutes before cooling completely on a rack.

 

• Step 11: To make the icing, melt the chocolate and allow to cool to room temperature.

• Step 12: Cream together the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the cinnamon and the cooled white chocolate. Finally add the milk and whisk hard for up to 5 minutes until the icing is very smooth and light.

 

• Step 13: Before you assemble the cake, brush the churros with a little melted butter and dust with the extra sugar and cinnamon.

 

• Step 14: To assemble, lay one cake on your plate and top with 1/3 of the buttercream. Repeat with the second and third cakes. Finally top with the churros.