Sharingan Checkerboard Chocolate Cake

Assalam, this was the cake that I made for Iqram's 10th birthday the other day...Just a simple chocolate cake but a little of twist here and there..As requested by the birthday boy himself he did not want tooo much chocolate coating..just a thin layer of chocolate ganache and not even chocolate butter cream..(Tak padan juga budak ni dalam hati kita berkata2..demand seh)..

Anyway, I did asked him what type of cake he wanted...Initially he said NARUTO(can see picturebelow), a cartoon character in anime..but I told him it is so difficult and highlighted to him that his mum is no professional baker or what so ever..so Hasif came out with an idea, why dont I baked a cake based on the sign 'Sharingan'..the most powerful sign in the character...I did asked him what the hell is sharingan?..hehehe..He decided to  help me with some search although he is busy with his own work.. and type some script for me... after seeing the picture, my mind wonders how am I suppose to bring down the image to the cake. (pls refer to Chocolate Picture Transfer Sheet' below)...

As for the cake itself, since I have always bake simple chocolate cakes with just plain  cake in the inside (besides the thousand layers chocolate cake), I've  decided to try this checkerboard chocolate cake which I found in  here. and wanted to give it a 'little fun' and some surprise for the 'customer' ..well it did surprised not only the birthday boy himself but my whole family..haha..
Thank you Aunty Yochana for sharing this recipe.

Checkerboard Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
180 gm. Butter
250 gm. sugar-(Ayu used 220g, next time 180g)
3 nos. eggs
1 tsp. vanilla essence-(Ayu added 2 tsp)
200 ml. fresh milk
250 gm. cake flour
10 gm. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
60 gm. cooking chocolate - chopped coarsely and melted

Ganache: Mix together and double-boil
250 gm. chocolate-
180 gm. Dairy cream

Method:
(1) Beat butter and sugar till creamy.
(2) Add in eggs one at a time and beat till well mixed.
(3) Pour in the fresh milk gradually and if it cuddles, add a tablespoon of flour and then mix till creamy. Add in salt and vanilla essence.
(4) Add in the balance flour and baking powder and mix thoroughly.
(5) Divide the batter into 2 portions, giving a bit more to the plain portion.
(6) Add melted chocolate into the lesser portion.
(7) Use piping bags, fill up the bags with batter and pipe alternately into the ring and then lift up the rings.
(8) You need 3 trays of 9" cake pan to pipe the alternate colours.
(9) Bake at 175C for about 35 mins or till cooked.
(10) For ganache, put all the ingredients into a microwave bowl and microwave it till chocolate melts, stir it till smooth and let it set before pouring onto cake.-(Ayu double boiled it)
(11) Spread each layer of cake with ganache and lay the cakes alternately to get a checkerboard pattern.
(12) Pour balance ganache onto cake and set in the fridge before slicing it.
(13) Slice with a warm knife but not too hot otherwise the chocolate will smudge the cake and it looks untidy.
Sources:-From auntyyochana.blogspot.com

 This was the pan that I used for the cake..It comes with  3 pcs  9' pans and a divider..Pipe out the batter accordingly then pull up the divider and place it in the oven (without the divider ya).

On the packaging itself there a recipe for it too, after scrutinising,

basically what I have here was actually halved of those on the box..

The recipe on the box, yields quite a tall cake.

 Repeat with other colours to form the checkered cake layers.. Spread each layer with ganache

 and lay the cakes alternately to get a checkerboard pattern.

I guessed you can used other types of recipe for this checkerboard cakes as long as the batter is not  the 'watery' type' and can be  piped...

  *Note:-This cake needs the above special checkerboard cake pan set and if you don't have, just use 2 pcs. of smaller cake ring to fit into your cake pan.

Chocolate Picture Transfer Sheet

 Sources:-From http://happyflour.blogspot.com

I remembered about Happy Flour's blog when I was blog walking  many weeks ago on this and decided to use her method in transfering images onto cake..instead of using the edible image print ..As for the  image I used the 'White Chocolate Compound Picture Transfer Sheet' method which you can see a clearer version  and white chocolate used here .I forgot to take the picture for the white chocolate used, which you can also see it there..

Thank you Happy Flour for sharing this wonderful & creative technique of transfering images onto cakes..Let me share with others too here ya..

The concept that I used was from this anime channel cartoon NARUTO..

'Sharingan is  an eye feature that is passed down in a certain clan in the anime Naruto. It has the power to predict movements but when it evolves to a mangekyo sharingan it can do lots more. The design of this cake is a mangekyo sharingan that can start a black fire that could only be extinguish by only the user. Different clan members have different powers, bringing something to another dimension, summoning a creature'

.-(Wrtten by my son Hasif, he did the research..heheh)

I measured the size of the image and printed out the picture that I wanted above, paste it behind 

a PVC Plastic Sheet, placed it on tray.

Melt the white colouring in a double boiler. Spoon out some melted chocolate and mix in few drops of colouring. (I used Wilton colour paste.) Fill the piping bag with coloured chocolate and fold the top down to the level of the icing to seal bag. Snip off the tip of the bag, a tiny little hole will do. Pipe along the outline of the picture, let it set. (For outline piping, the consistence of the chocolate must be thick.)

Spoon out some melted chocolate and mix in few drops of colouring again, work with one colour at a time. Fill the piping bag with coloured chocolate and start filling the picture with colours. Begin with the smaller details of the picture first, let it set then continue with the rest of the details. Please bear in mind that the white chocolate is creamy in colour and you can't get the exact colour as the picture print out. (For detail piping, the consistence of the chocolate must be runny.)

 Leave it to set totally at room temperature. You can transfer it straight onto a frosted cake by flipping the chocolate picture onto the frosted cake then slowly peel off the plastic sheet. You can chill it in the fridge for later use. Cover the surface of the chocolate picture with a plastic sheet, place a light weigh on it and chill in the fridge. This is to prevent the picture bend and break during chilling. (All wordings must be piped mirror image.)

 Slowly peel of from the plastic sheet once you find that the chocolate a bit firm or easily peeled off.

For me, I placed it in fridge  for a while so that it 'hardened slightly. 

Once I finished ganaching my cake, I brought out the chocolate transfer and transfer the images on the cake.