This cake looks spectacular when cut and tastes delicious.

You will need:

For the cake

• 250g butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 250g self raising flour
• 60g melted white chocolate
• 60g melted dark chocolate

Chocolate fudge icing

• 115g dark chocolate
• 115g butter
• 150g icing sugar
• 2tsp milk

Method

• Grease and line two 18cm loose bottom tins. Pre heat the oven to 160 degrees centigrade.
• Cream the butter and caster sugar together.
• Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.
• Sift in the flour and fold until well mixed.
• Put half the cake mixture into another bowl. Add the melted white chocolate to one half and the melted dark chocolate to the other half of the mixture. Fold the chocolate though the mixtures until well mixed.
• Pour each bowl of cake mix into the two prepared tins and cook for 35mins or until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, start making the icing. Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a bain marie.  Once melted remove from the heat and mix the chocolate and butter really well together and leave to cool completely.  When the butter and chocolate has cooled, which will be about the same time as the cake, mix the butter and chocolate again and sift in the icing sugar and add the milk one tablespoon at a time.  The icing needs to be soft and spreadable but will also hold its shape (this is not a drip icing).
• Once the cake is cooked remove from the oven, allow to cool in the tins for 5mins then turn out to cool completely.
• When the cakes are completely cooled it is time to cut the cake.
• Tip: I have found it easier to cut the bottom through to the top as the base has a flat surface.
• Get your stencils ready, you can use anything of an appropriate size. I used 14cm circle, 10cm circle and a 5cm circle to cut around.  Do take your time to position the stencils as centrally as you can and cut all the way through the cake. Start with the largest to the smallest.  Cut all the circles before separating them.
• Make sure you have plenty of space before you start to separate the cake rings.
• Don’t worry if one of the rings brakes it can be easily ‘glued’ with the icing and will be kept together once reassembled and iced.
• Separate the cake rings, you will have 3 rings of each cake. Smear a thin layer of the icing on the cut side of each ring, this will help ‘glue’ the cake together. Re-assemble the dark and light cake rings alternately.
• Sandwich the two assembled cakes together with a good layer of icing. Finish the cake by icing completely – thus disguising the cut circles.
• When sliced the cake reveals the great checker pattern.