Chocolate Fudge Traycake

Name: Chocolate Fudge Traycake
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: For the sponge:; 320g golden or white granulated sugar; 300g plain flour; 60g cocoa powder; sifted; 1 tbsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp salt; 225g unsalted butter; very soft; 180ml buttermilk; room temp; 3 large eggs; 1 tbsp vanilla extract; For the chocolate fudge frosting:; 75g 70% dark chocolate; roughly broken; 75g unsalted butter; cubed; 340g icing sugar; 80ml milk; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ¼ tsp salt; To decorate:; 1x 38g tube Smarties; Sprinkles of your choice

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Ingredients

For the sponge:
320g golden or white granulated sugar
300g plain flour
60g cocoa powder, sifted
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
225g unsalted butter, very soft
180ml buttermilk, room temp
3 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate fudge frosting:
75g 70% dark chocolate, roughly broken
75g unsalted butter, cubed
340g icing sugar
80ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
To decorate:
1x 38g tube Smarties
Sprinkles of your choice

Instructions

For the cake, pre-heat oven to 170°C / 150°C fan assisted then grease and line a 23x30cm (9x13inch) cake tin with parchment paper.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer.
Add the remaining sponge ingredients and mix just until the batter is smooth and uniform in colour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pour batter into the prepared cake tin then spread and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 32-37 minutes. Place on a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely in the tin before decorating.
Do not start on the fudge frosting until the sponge is cool as the frosting needs to be spread while still warm.
To make the fudge frosting, place all the ingredients into a medium sized saucepan over low heat, stirring until the chocolate and butter has melted.
Remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer, starting on a low speed then slowly working up to a medium speed, until the fudge frosting starts to cool and thickens to a spreadable consistency that just holds its shape. This can take up to 10 minutes. Tip: To speed up the process, you can transfer the hot fudge frosting into another heat proof dish so that you’re not mixing in the hot saucepan. Tip: For the consistency, rather have the fudge frosting a little too soft and warm than hard and cooled, as it will cool fast and crust over very quickly when you start to spread it on the cake.
To decorate your cake, spoon the fudge frosting on top of the cooled sponge, then using the back of a spoon or small spatula, spread it evenly over the top of the cake, then create lovely swirls in the frosting. Tip: If your frosting was still a little too warm, just keep creating swirls as this will help it to cool until you get the pattern you like that holds.
Immediately decorate with Smarties and sprinkles as the frosting will start to crust over almost immediately.
Use a sharp knife to cut into 5×4 for 20 portions, or 6×4 for 24 portions.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.