Oreo chocolate cake

I know lately I have been harping on about the weather... but this picture I posted on Instagram just about sums up our Irish summer... 

So its Wednesday, mid-week, hump day... so here is a recipe that will cheer you up... maybe give you some inspiration for an indulgent treat at some stage soon...

This is a recipe that I made on TV3's Late Lunch Live back before Christmas... I'm only getting to post it now!

Oreo chocolate cake

Makes two 8” sandwich tins (20cm) or one 8x3 inch round cake tin

225g softened unsalted butter

225g caster sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (optional)

4 eggs

190g self-raising flour

35g cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

A little milk if required at room temperature

For the ganache

225g dark chocolate

284ml double cream

For the Oreo buttercream frosting

375g unsalted butter softened

1teaspoon vanilla extract

750g icing sugar

1 single pack of Oreos

Before you do anything else, pre-heat the oven to 182 degrees C/360 degrees F/Gas mark 4_. Prepare two 20cm (8inch) sandwich tins by greasing them thoroughly and lining the base with non-stick parchment.

Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat it until it is pale and light. Add the sugar and continue beating until it's light and fluffy. Break the eggs into a separate bowl and beat them lightly.

Add the eggs a spoon at a time to the batter mix, beating in each addition thoroughly before adding the next. This is so the mix won’t split.

Sift the self raising flour, cocoa powder and salt together. Use a large spoon, fold in the sieved flour to the egg and butter mixture. The mix should now be ready, however if it looks a bit thick, add in a drop of room temperature milk to loosen it

Divide the mixture equally between the two prepared tins. Tap the tins down gently to expel any large air pockets and level the cakes. Place into the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

When ready, cool on a cooling wire rack and remove the baking parchment.

For the ganache

Coarsely chop up the dark chocolate on a clean chopping board and place in a heatproof mixing bowl. Over a medium heat on the hob, heat the double cream in a saucepan until it starts to boil. Once it starts bubbling remove it from the heat and carefully pour it over the chocolate in the bowl. Stir until all the chocolate has melted and you are left with a glossy ganache.

For the buttercream

Gently soften the butter and start to beat in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Sift in the icing sugar and continue to beat well until the mix is pale and smooth.

Remove the Oreos from the pack and set 3 or 4 aside for decoration. Remove the centres from the other Oreos and bash them up in a sandwich bag using a rolling pin. Pour the crumbed Oreos into the buttercream and mix through using a wooden spoon.