Praline cake for my daughter's 3rd Birthday.

This is what I baked for my daughter's Birthday..... it is different...yes, this time I baked a chocolate cake and topped it with buttercream and praline- unusual combi, right? well, she is a die hard chocolate fan which is why I made a chocolate base but she doesnt like chocolate icing (go figure) that is why i did vanilla buttercream...and she loves nuts, which is why the praline!!!!!

For the chocolate Cake:

Butter: 1 cup

Sugar: 13/4 cups

Eggs: 3

Vanilla essence: 1.5 tsp

Milk: 1.5 cups

All Purpose Flour: 2.5 cups

Cocoa Powder: 6 table spoon

Baking Powder: 1.5 tsp

Sift the all purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together thrice. Keep it aside

Preheat the oven. Grease and flour your cake tin.

Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

Add the eggs to it and beat till combined well.

Add the flour mix and the milk alternately. You can work your stand mixer at speed 1 till everything is mixed well. (don't overdo it as the baking powder is added)

Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake at 180 C till done.

As it is cooling, we will start with the butter cream icing and the topping preparation

For the Icing:
Butter: 200 gms
Icing Sugar; 4.5 cups
Milk: 1/4 cup
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp

Let the butter come to room temperature. Keep this in a bowl and beat it on speed 1 for a minute.
Now add the sugar and beat on low speed (otherwise there will be a lot of cleaning to do later!!!!)
when it is combined well, increase the speed and let it get beaten to an icing consistency.
Add the vanilla and then the milk ( add milk slowly, if you feel the consistency is reached, stop adding to the mix, you can drink it instead...) see my icing getting done in the pic below...

Now we go on to the praline topping....

Sugar : 1 cup
Toasted Cashewnuts: 1 cup
Water: 2 tbsp

Lightly brush aluminium foil with a little oil
In a thick bottomed pan, heat the sugar with water till it turns brown in colour.
 Make sure you do not meddle with it with ur spoon.... I understand the temptation....BUT NO..... swirl the pan so that it browns uniformly.
when it reaches a beautiful brown colour, turn off the stove, add the cashewnuts and immediately pour it onto the aluminium foil (thin layer like in the picture)

When it cools, crush it and then pulse it in a food processor.

By this time, your chocolate cake would have cooled down.

Cut the cake horizontally in the middle so that you get two cakes.

Apply the frosting on top of the bottom piece and place the top piece on that so that it is sandwiched with the frosting.

Now a pply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake with a spatula and place this in the fridge for half an hour.

After that take it out and generously spread the frosting all over.

Immediately top it with the praline with the help of your hands.

If you want, you can again pipe the icing on top.

Refrigerate till set.