You Will Need:

Main Dish

6 extra large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (500 ml) canola oil
2 cups (500 ml) warm black tea
4 T (60 ml) finely grated fresh ginger
2 x 650 g Ina Paarman’s Chocolate Cake Mixes
4 T (60 ml) ground ginger
2 t (10 ml) ground cinnamon
pinch of cloves
½ t (2,5 ml) cayenne pepper

Ina’s Tip

Fill the different sized cake pans to the same depth. We used a sosatie stick to measure. Graduated cake pan sizes:

Method:

Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Butter and line the bases of three cake pans, 1 x 20 cm, 1 x 18 cm and 1 x 15 cm, with baking paper. Mix both cakes together using a large mixing bowl. Beat eggs and oil together for 1 minute on high speed until well blended.

Add warm black tea and beat on high speed until blended. Add freshly grated ginger. Open the foil bags of dry mixes and measure the dry spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper) into one of the packs. Give it a quick stir through.

Add contents of both packs to the creamed mixture and gently mix in by hand with spatula. Blend only until combined. Scrape mixture into prepared pans. See Ina’s Tip. Bake for 50 minutes.

Cakes are done when a thin-bladed knife inserted in the centre comes out clean and cakes pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn out on a cooling rack. Do not ice until cakes are completely cool.

Icing

Add the ground ginger to the Vanilla Icing and mix accordingly to package instructions. Fold in chopped preserved ginger and the syrup if using. Place the largest cake on a cake stand.

Generously ice the top and smooth a little icing down the sides. Smear lightly to give that ‘nude’ look. Place the middle layer on top and repeat icing process. Finally, finish off with the smallest cake and remaining icing. Decorate with roses.