Super Quick Dark Chocolate Cake with Ganache Topping

I was asked to whip up a Birthday Cake by one of the Mums at school. I used this recipe, cut the cake in half, sandwiched the layers of the cake together with some of the ganache topping and put ganache all over the top and sides of the cake. I decorated the cake with chocolate curls, stars and put chocolate fingers all around the outside.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon! lol

115g unsalted butter

125g plain chocolate

1 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

3 free range eggs

1 3/4 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

Icing

150g butter

150g dark chocolate

Heat oven to 180 deg C. Line a 22cm tin with non-stick baking paper or grease the tin then dust it with cocoa shaking out the excess.

Heat the butter and chocolate in saucepan over a very low heat. When both the butter and chocolate has melted and are thoroughly combined, add the sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk in the buttermilk and eggs completely then add the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth batter.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in to the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make a ganache icing for the cake, melt 50 g butter and 50 g dark chocolate together either in a microwave or in a saucepan over a low heat.  Once the butter and chocolate have melted and thoroughly combined, pour the mixture over the top and sides of the cooled cake and leave to set.