When asked what kind of cake he’d like for his birthday my husband responded with this

Portal Cake

Which is the cake from Portal and was apparently inspired by a black forest gateaux. Not knowing this, I took a stab in the dark and made a visually similar cake.

Real cake Cake comparison

I think I did OK. While this cake is not a lie, it IS lying, from the outside it looks like a dark chocolate cake but when you cut it open it reveals itself to be… a plain sponge cake. Until you start eating and realise that it’s actually a white chocolate cake.

Sliced cake

Ingredients

White chocolate cake

  • 375ml milk
  • 150g white chocolate
  • 320g self raising flour
  • 175g unsalted butter
  • 250g granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1stp vanilla

Ganash

  • 125 ml double cream
  • 170g plain chocolate

Vanilla butter icing

  • 55g butter
  • 115g icing sugar (sifted)
  • ~1tsp vanilla essence

Decoration

  • 1 plain white birthday candle
  • glace cherries

Method

Cake

  1. Heat milk and chocolate until melted and combined, cool to room temperature.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 175 deg C. Grease and line two 8” cake rounds.
  3. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs one at a time and beat until fully combined (if you’re using a kitchen machine slow down for this step).
  5. Alternate adding flour and milk, mixing until fully combined in between additions. Start and end with flour (3 flour, 2 milk).
  6. Bake for 20-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  7. Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before turning out and returning to the rack to cool completely.

Ganash

  1. Grate or finely chop the chocolate to ensure even melting.
  2. Bring the cream to boiling point in a saucepan, remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate.
  3. Allow the mixture to stand for 2 minutes.
  4. Beat until smooth
  5. Set aside to cool at room temperature. DO NOT refrigerate.

Vanilla butter icing

  1. Cream the butter until soft and gradually beat in the icing sugar.
  2. Add the vanilla essence a few drops at a time (beating as you go) until the desired taste is achieved.

Assembly

  1. Reserve a table spoon full of butter icing for decoration.
  2. Once the cake has thoroughly cooled butter the bottom tier with icing and assemble.
  3. Beat the chocolate ganache until it has lightened in colour and texture.
  4. Ice the whole of the cake assembly with the ganache.
  5. Use the reserved butter icing as a base for the cherries.
  6. Place the white candle in the center of the cake.

Inspiration

The white chocolate cake is based on this White Chocolate Cake by liv for cake. The ganache and butter icing are generic.

And of course: Portal.