• Cotton Sponge Cakes

Vanilla Sponge Cake

1. Preheat oven at 180°C/355°F.

2. In a cup, add milk and vinegar. Give it a quick stir and let it rest for 5 minutes.

3. Sift all the dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt)

4. In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Mix vigorously until well combined.

5. Add in the sifted dry ingredients in a few batches, alternate with the milk mixture.

6. Add in the milk mixture in a few batches, alternate with the sifted dry ingredients.

7. Mix until combined, do not over mix. Switch to a spatula to mix and scrape the bowl to ensure even mixing.

8. Transfer batter into a 7-inch prepared pan, greased and lined with parchment paper.

9. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C/355°F at 35 minutes or until inserted skewer comes out clean.

10. Let it cool completely before slicing.

Chocolate Sponge Cake

1. Repeat exactly the same steps as the vanilla sponge cake.

2. The only difference in the chocolate batter is that there is an additional cocoa powder in the ingredients to be sifted.

• Chocolate Ganache

1. In a bowl, add the chopped dark chocolate.

2. Heat the whipping cream in a milk pot. Add the hot cream into the dark chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

3. After 5 minutes, mix until the mixture is combined and smooth and no lumps. If there is still lumps, microwave a few more seconds and mix again until lumps free.

4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until the chocolate is hardened.

5. Mix the chocolate with an electric mixer until smooth, creamy and stiff.

• Whipped Cream (to cover the cake and piping the dollops deco)

1. In a mixing bowl, add whipping cream and sugar.

2. Mix until stiff peaks, do not over mix.

• Chocolate Drizzle

1. In a bowl, add the chopped dark chocolate.

2. Add the hot cream into the dark chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

3. Mix until creamy and no lumps. Transfer into a piping bag.

• Assemble the Cake

1. Add one layer of cake (one with the chocolate cake in the outer rim)

2. Brush the surface with syrup.

3. Add a layer of mocha ganache.

4. Add another layer of cake (one with the vanilla cake in the outer rim).

5. Brush with syrup.

6. Repeat no. 1 to 5 again.

7. Cover the cake with whipped cream.

8. Refrigerate while working on the next step.

9. Drizzle the chocolate around the cake rim. Drizzle the diagonal pattern on top.

10. Pipe the dollops around the cake top.

11. Cake is ready to serve.