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Konditor & Cook
When Konditor & Cook opened in 1993, the dark chocolate cake was our most popular. Chocolate throughout, it was filled with a rich ganache. One of its biggest fans was a Mrs Simon of Sloane Square, who always bought it for family birthdays, until one Thanksgiving when she requested a vanilla filling instead of the customary ganache. And that’s when the Curly Whirly Cake was born – a dark chocolate sponge laden with creamy vanilla frosting. At the time, we also went through a Klimt-inspired wedding-cake period. Gold-leaf squares and decorative swirls were all the rage, and so it was that an everyday cake ended up with some pretty chocolate curly-whirly decorations. The Curly Whirly has topped the number-one spot ever since, and I hope this recipe will make it an equally staple part of your baking.

Makes a 17cm cake

Posted by Ebury Publishing • Published 23rd July 2014 • See Ebury Publishing's 80 projects » © 2024 Gerhard Jenne / Ebury Press · Reproduced with permission. · Konditor & Cook: Deservedly Legendary Baking by Gerhard Jenne (Ebury Press, hardback £20) Photography: Jean Cazals 2014

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Step 1
Heat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5. Line two 17cm sandwich tins with foil or baking parchment.
Step 2
Heat half the milk and half the soft brown sugar together in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved, then add the chocolate and stir over a low heat until melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
Step 3
Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together and set aside. Put the butter in a large bowl, add the remaining sugar and beat together until light and fluffy, using an electric mixer. Gradually add the beaten eggs, alternating each addition with a tablespoon of the flour mixture to prevent it splitting.
Step 4
Fold in the rest of the flour, followed by the remaining milk, then add the still-warm chocolate milk. Mix until smooth; it will have a very runny consistency.
Step 5
Divide the mixture between the 2 lined tins and bake for 20–25 minutes, until risen and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins.
Step 6
Turn the cakes out of their tins and sandwich them together with about a quarter of the frosting. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides to bind any crumbs and then leave to set in the fridge for an hour.
Step 7
Coat with the remaining frosting, smoothing it with a palette knife. Sprinkle with chocolate flakes or put the melted chocolate in a parchment piping bag and pipe patterns on the cake.