Chocolate hazelnut fig cake

I made this cake for our friend Liz’s baby shower - three layers of chocolate cake sandwiched with buttercream made with ground toasted hazelnuts, fresh figs and topped with edible rose petals. 

Lovely Liz at her baby shower

Ingredients

10 oz butter

10 oz caster sugar

1 tsp almond essence

5 eggs

10 oz self-raising flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

5 tbsp cocoa powder

½ tsp salt

For the hazelnut buttercream

3 oz toasted hazelnuts

8 oz icing sugar
6 oz butter, softened

To decorate

6 fresh figs, sliced
Edible rose petals

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease and line three 7 inch round cake tins.  
2. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter, sugar and almond essence 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, baking powder, cocoa and salt and beat until well combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tins and bake for about 25 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.
7. To make the buttercream, put the hazelnuts and icing sugar into a food processor and blitz until it is as fine as you can get it.
8. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter until smooth and lighter in colour. Add the nutty sugar and whisk well for 5 minutes until lightened and fluffy.
9. When the cakes are completely cool, sandwich each layer with a third of the icing topped with a layer of sliced figs. Decorate the top with more figs and some edible rose petals.