QUINNtessential Pencil Cake

Directions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.

2. Beat the butter and caster sugar until smooth and creamy (3–5 mins). Add the vanilla extract and eggs, beating well after each addition.
3. Sift the flour into the mixture and fold in until smooth.
4. Grease and line 3 x 400g empty, clean food tins (without ring pulls) using a paintbrush o
5. Leave a few centimetres of baking paper sticking out to allow for cake rising.
6. Evenly distribute the batter between the tins, tapping the bases to remove air pockets. Place the tins in a deep baking tray to make transferring easier.
7. Bake for approx. 35-40 mins until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Leave to cool before removing the cakes from their individual tins. Store in a cake tin or tupperware in to firm up and stay fresh. Refrigerate as it makes them easier to carve later.

Chocolate Lead

1. While the cakes are cooling, prepare and create your chocolate lead.

2. For a coloured pencil use white chocolate along with some food colouring, otherwise for a standard lead, use dark or milk chocolate.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or over a bain-marie, stirring occasionally to combine. Once fully melted, add in your food colouring if using.
4. Line the inside of a tin foil or cling film tube with baking paper, ensuring you tape up the base with some extra parchment to ensure the chocolate doesn’t leak out. Place this lined tube in a tall vase or glass.
5. Carefully transfer your melted chocolate mixture into a disposable piping bag and fill your lined tube with the chocolate mixture, tapping the tube as you go to ensure you get rid of any air bubbles.

6. with the remainder of the chocolate mix, fill the tip of another piping bag to create your pencil cores tip. Twisting shut and sealing with a clip or elastic band. Rest in the same container the tube is in and place in the fridge to fully set.

7. Once set, remove from the fridge and slide out the lead from the tube by cutting the base of the taped end and sliding straight out.
8. Cut the other end to create a flat surface before cutting the chocolate tip inside the piping bag down to size to fit on to the core.
9. To stick the chocolate tip to the core, melt some of the cut away remnant chocolate and with a paintbrush apply this to the flat surface at the top of the lead before ‘gluing’ on the chocolate tip. Return to the fridge to fully set.

Assembly

1. Once the cake and lead are completely cool, you can begin the assembly.

2. Begin by trimming and levelling your cakes. Set aside the tallest one to carve into the pencil tip. For the middle section of the pencil, trim and level both the top and base of the cake. For the base of the pencil, only trim and level the top.
3. Use an apple corer to remove the centres of the cakes and fit the chocolate core inside. Assemble the cakes by joining them around the chocolate core, trimming the core to size as needed.
4. Once all three cakes are joined and level, you can start carving the tip of your pencil with a sharp knife, as you would if sharpening an actual pencil with a knife. The great thing about a pencil cake, is that you can eat the trimmings!
5. For the outside of the pencil, repeat the process you used to create your chocolate lead, making sure to colour match.
6. Pour the melted chocolate on to a flat silicone mat or non-stick baking paper, big enough to wrap and roll around the pencil. Spread the chocolate over the select area with a palette knife to create an even layer. Again, it can help to tap the mat or paper to help level everything off.
7. Once the chocolate is starting to firm up slightly roll the cake up in the chocolate.
8. Once fully wrapped and coated transfer carefully to the fridge to set. Once the chocolate has set, unwrap and remove the silicone mat or paper and neaten off the edges and ends if necessary.