Chocolate orange and almond layer cake with blackberries

I couldn't resist the sight of a bar or three of dark chocolate with orange and almonds when I was shopping for ingredients to make a birthday cake for our friend Niaz. I decided to make a stripey layer cake from two types of sponge cakes - one chocolate and almond, the other orange and almond. The chocolate itself I made into a ganache, some of which I added to a buttercream for the filling, and the rest I poured over the top of the cake. I topped the cake with fresh blackberries and whole almonds, dusted with edible gold dust. Happy birthday Niaz!

Ingredients

1 lb butter

1 lb caster sugar

8 eggs

12 oz self-raising flour

4 oz ground almonds

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

Juice of half an orange

½ tsp orange food colouring

4 tbsp cocoa powder

For the chocolate ganache 

300g dark chocolate with orange and almonds

300ml double cream

For the buttercream

4 oz butter, softened

8 oz icing sugar

To decorate

6 oz blackberries

Whole almonds

Edible gold dust

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease and line two 9 inch springform cake tins.  
2. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. Measure out the flour and set aside.
4. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, followed by a large spoonful of flour between each egg.  Beat well after each addition.
5. Sift in the remaining flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt and beat until well combined.
6. Divide half of the batter into another large mixing bowl.
7. In one portion of the batter, add the grated orange zest, orange juice and food colouring, and mix well.
8. In the other half of the batter, sift in the cocoa powder and beat well.
9. Pour the orange batter into one cake tin and the chocolate batter into the other.
10. Bake for about 30 mins until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 5 mins before removing from the tin and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
11. To make the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir gently until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
12. To make the buttercream, place the butter in a medium bowl, beat until smooth, then sift in the icing sugar and beat well until thick and smooth. Pour half of the ganache into the buttercream and beat together until glossy.
13. Once the cakes have cooled completely, slice each one in half horizontally.
14. Place one layer on your cake stand, and spread with a third of the buttercream. 
15. Continue layering the cakes in alternate flavours, each sandwiched with another third of the buttercream.
16. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, and smooth with a palette knife.
17. Decorate with the blackberries and almonds, and brush the tops of the berries with edible gold dust.