MARY BERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and grease and line with greased greaseproof paper the bases of two 20cm/8in straight-sided loose bottomed sandwich tins.
• Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the syrup, eggs, oil and milk, mix with an electric hand whisk and pour into the tins.
• Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes springs back when lightly pressed with your fingertips. Turn out on a wire rack, remove the paper and leave to cool.
• For the icing, break the white chocolate into a bowl. Heat the double cream in a pan, until very hot but not boiling and pour the hot cream over the white chocolate to melt it. Stir until melted and set aside to cool.
• Spoon the cream cheese into a bowl then gradually add the white chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Set aside to cool a little, until thick enough to ice.
• Spread half of the icing on one cake, sit the other cake on top and spread the remaining icing on top to give a pretty finish.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 (160C fan).
• Put the cocoa in a large bowl, add the boiling water and mix until smooth. Add the baking spread or butter and beat into the cocoa until smooth, then add the remaining cake ingredients and mix until combined – this can be done in a mixer or by hand.
• Pour into the tin, spread evenly and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until well risen, just firm to the touch and shrinking away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and peel off the baking parchment. Brush the top of the cake with apricot jam and leave to cool completely
• For the icing, warm the cream in a small pan until hot, then add the milk chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Leave to cool a little so that it is a thick pouring consistency (this won’t take long depending on room temperature). Pour the icing over the cake, spreading out with a palette knife to cover the cake completely.
• To decorate, melt the white chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Place in a small piping bag, snip the end and pipe in lines down the cake, about 1cm/½in apart. Using a cocktail stick, drag through the white chocolate in opposite directions across the cake to give a feathered effect.