Cracker Cake

Photo: flickr user Ross_Angus

Ingredients

2 Eggs

50 grams Caster sugar, (2oz)

50 grams Plain flour, (2oz)

20 mls Cadbury's Bournville cocoa, (1 Tbs)

1 50 grams bar Cadbury's Bournville chocolate

40 grams Butter, (1 oz)

75 grams Icing sugar, sieved (3oz)

2 Cadbury's '99' Flake

40 mls Jam, (2 Tbs)

350 grams Icing sugar, (12oz)

60 mls Cadbury's Bournville cocoa, (3 Tbs)

50 grams Liquid glucose, (2oz)

1 Egg white

A packet of Cadbury's milk chocolate Buttons

A packet of Cadbury's creamy-white Buttons

18 28 cm, (7 x 11 inch) swiss roll tin, greased and lined

Greaseproof paper

Crepe paper and ribbon

A Christmas cake decoration

Preparation

Whisk the eggs and sugar for the cake in a bowl over a pan of hot water, or use an electric mixer. Whisk hard until thick enough to leave a definite trail, which will take about 10 minutes. Sieve the flour and cocoa together and then carefully fold in with a tablespoon of warm water, ensuring no pockets of flour are left. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface by tilting the tin; do not spread. Bake in a fairly hot oven, Gas Mark 6/200 C/400 F, for about 12 minutes.

Dust a large sheet of greaseproof paper with caster sugar. Turn the swiss roll on to this and carefully peel off the lining paper. Trim the cake edges and then roll up with the paper inside. Cool on a wire tray.

Melt the chocolate for the filling. Cream the butter and sieved icing sugar together until soft, and then add the cooled melted chocolate.

Carefully unroll the swiss roll and then spread it with chocolate icing. Lay the Flake's end-to-end across the short side, allowing them to protrude at the edges, and then roll up tightly. Brush the cake with warmed jam.

Sieve the icing sugar and cocoa for the fondant into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the liquid glucose and egg white, working it with a wooden spoon to bind the fondant together. Dust the surface with sifted cocoa, and then roll the fondant into an oblong large enough to cover the swiss roll, pressing it into place. Neaten the ends but keep the Flake protruding. Rub the Buttons between your fingers to make them shine and then stick them on at either end, alternating the white and milk chocolate Buttons. Use jam if necessary to secure them.

Make a cracker frill for each end with the crepe paper and tie securely round the Flake. Complete with a Christmas decoration in the centre of the cake. Lift onto a cake board.

NOTES : Although this is appropriate at Christmas time, there are many other occasions throughout the year when this cake could be used, for example birthdays, with the name written on top. Contrasting piping looks spectacular and you could really go to town decorating the cracker with pieces of net and ribbon.