Lara's Signature Chocolate-vanilla Cake

Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• 185 g butter, room temperature and chopped into small pieces
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, sifted
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups self raising flour, sifted
• 2/3 cup cocoa, sifted
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons plain yogurt (can be low fat or sweetened)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 teaspoons boiling water
• 350 g rich chocolate mousse mix

Recipe

• 1 [in the evening before]
• 2 grease a 9-inch cake pan and preheat oven to 160/375 degrees celcius / farenheit.
• 3 on a low speed, beat butter, essence, sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa and water in a large bowl until they are well mixed.
• 4 then beat at a higher speed until the colour of the mixture changes and everything is very well mixed.
• 5 spread into pan.
• 6 bake for one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• 7 prepare mousse.
• 8 leave them both to cool/chill during the night.
• 9 [in the morning].
• 10 cut cake in half (carefully !).
• 11 spread mousse evenly across the bottom half and position top half on top - carefully push it down a bit to 'set' it.
• 12 make icing - stir yoghurt and vanilla into icing sugar until thick.
• 13 quickly add and mix in the hot water.
• 14 immediately spread on cake.
• 15 i suggest decorating it with chocolate letters, chopped almonds or dusted cocoa.
• 16 also try subbing the chocolate mousse with straciatella mousse.