Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. Literally sums up how these Chocolate & Raspberry Sponges were created. Doh!
These beauties were a delight to make, whilst at the same time a complete NIGHTMARE. Why a nightmare I hear you ask? Well, these sponges were in fact the result of a rescue mission. A mission to save a half dropped chocolate layered raspberry sponge cake called Humpty Dumpty. Just my luck ay!
Hop along the Humpty Dumpty rollercoaster and let me entertain you all on how this sweet dream unfolded into a beautiful nightmare.
First, there were two beautifully baked chocolate sponges fresh out the oven. Then a delicately rich chocolate/butterscotch buttercream was prepared and ready to layer on. A handful of ruby red raspberries were also washed and patiently waiting to make its grand entrance. So everything was going smoothly at this point *hops swiftly through the chocolate raspberry fields with a hint of lavender*. La de la de laa. Right, so now cake cooled down and the first sponge was layered with buttercream. Great! Now the addition of raspberries and the base is done. First step accomplished- keeerrrchingg! Next, the second sponge was placed on top ever so carefully and a layer of buttercream was neatly smothered on top. Still layering it calmly around the top sponge, feeling proud that I was about to accomplish something magnifique. Getting to the final bit now.. AND THEN..…BANG! The cake drops. *Heart shatters into a thousand pieces* My masterpiece now destroyed. Humpty Dumpty fell to its great death.
Soooo at this point, you can imagine, I’m lost for words. Lit-ter-ral-ly. Speech-less. My mind somewhat at a standstill as well as slowly gearing up for a full blown circus extravaganza. All neurotransmitters working hard to signal a flight and fight response. My heart, sunken into a dark and gloomy, muddy pit waiting to be rescued. My brother looks at me helplessly (as usual :P). BUUUUT… BEHOLD! My prefrontal cortex has thought of a mind-blowing rescue attempt with the help of its fellow accomplice, the hippocampus (long-term memory). (I’m such a nerd, I know hehe) By long-term memory, I mean the collection of Instagram posts from fellow bakers, which I’ve visualised and stored, hence how this rescue idea blossomed through. A big shoutout to the baking community for this one! Whoop whoop!
Anyway, moving on swiftly. As I mentioned before, only half the cake dropped, but that was still heartbreaking. Wahhh. But on the positive side, at least it wasn’t all of it, phewwyy! So with this great idea of mine, I searched for some circle shaped cutters. My brother helped and cut through the remaining sponge we had left to create some nice chocolate circles. Although some bases were uneven due to lumps of fallen sponge, this was hardly noticeable. Thank goodness. Next part to decorate. Delicious buttercream was spread on top and a lovely bright raspberry placed in the middle of each one. We also managed to buttercream one whole sponge just to see what it would look like (pictured in the middle) and I think it looks good but I prefer the naked sponges instead. They kind of stand out a bit more, what do you think? Now a sprinkle of chopped nuts for that professional finishing effect. ;)
And VOILA! There you have it. Beautifully created mini chocolate and raspberry sponges that also taste zeeeelicious!
Now we can all sigh with reliefff! *Ahhhhh* I hope you all enjoyed my little background story and remember folks, you gotta remain careful at all times! Definitely a note to myself ;)
Ciaooo ciaoo :D