Profiterole Cake

Profiteroles are definitely one of my favourite sweets.  (In fact, anything with custard is).  My friend Natalie, who recently celebrated her 17th birthday whilst she stayed with us at the beach, also shares my love of custard.  So, for her birthday I decided to incorporate her two favourite sweets into her birthday cake: chocolate and custard.  The result? A delicious 'profiterole cake.' It has the intensity of dark chocolate in its icing which is sweetly balanced by the smooth custard.  I felt like I was eating a profiterole, except in cake form.  Just a word of warning, if you are a custard fanatic, serve this cake with extra custard filling!


Ingredients for Cake
225g unsalted butter, soft
225g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
25g cornflour
4 tbsp milk

Method for Cake
Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl.  Add vanilla, and then the eggs, one at a time adding spoonful of flour between each.  Fold in the rest of the flour and cornflour, and when it's combined, add the milk.  Split batter evenly between two sandwich tins and bake in oven for 25 minutes (or until cake pulls away from edge of cake tin) on 180 degrees (fan-forced).


Ingredients for Chocolate Icing
150mL double [thick] cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate

Method
Melt together the chocolate icing ingredients in a saucepan.  Remove from heat and whisk till smooth and thickened.  Let cool before using.

Ingredients for Custard Filling
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp caster sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste

Method
In a bowl, place 3 egg yolks, cornflour and caster sugar.  Whisk together until smooth.  In a saucepan, on medium heat, stir the milk.  Allow milk to heat, whilst continuously stirring, just up to boiling point.  Do not allow milk to get to boiling point (eg. vigorous bubbling) otherwise it will burn or stick to pot.  Pour milk, gradually, into the egg yolk mixture; beating continuously with handheld electic mixer.  Strain mixture back into saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until custard thickens.  Remove from heat.  Add vanilla extract.  Allow to cool slightly before using.

Method for Assembly of Cake
Place 1 layer of cake on a plate.  Pour all of custard in the middle of this cake; spread out slightly to the sides.  Place next layer of cake on top of custard.  Do not be alarmed if some of custard seeps out.  Pour chocolate ganache/icing on top of this cake layer.  Serve immediately.  Once finished, place in fridge; where everything will firm up.