Football lover's chocolate celebration cake. 

We all know someone who is football mad! This cake can be adapted to suit any team and if the football fan is a chocoholic then this cake is perfect - even the badge is made out of chocolate.

Ingredients

 6" Victoria sponge

180g/6oz cake margarine

180g/6oz caster sugar

3 eggs

150g/5oz self-raising flour

30g/1oz cocoa powder

tsp warm water

8" Victoria sponge

300g/10oz cake margarine

300g/10oz caster sugar

5 eggs

240g/8oz self-raising flour

60g/2oz cocoa powder

tbsp warm water

Buttercream

240g/8oz butter or margarine

454g/1Ib icing sugar

55g/2oz cocoa powder

splash of vanilla essence

Method

1.     Preheat oven to 180oC/350F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line three 6" round tins. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder together into a bowl then crack the eggs into a jug and whisk with a fork.
2.  Place the margarine and caster sugar into a mixing bowl, cream together using an electric whisk. Then, beat in some of the egg followed by a tablespoon of the flour and cocoa powder, to try and avoid curdling. Repeat until all the egg has gone. Add the remaining flour and cocoa powder and the warm water, then gently fold in (I find using my hand is the best utensil for this). 
3. Fill the tins then level over, (a wet hand, helps with obtaining a flatter surface). Then bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the sponge has come away from the side of the tin and is springy to touch. 
4. Leave in the tin for five minutes then turn out onto a rack and leave to cool. Repeat method for the 8" tin but bake for approximately 30 minutes. 

While the cakes are cooling, cream the butter, cocoa butter, and icing sugar together until soft. 

Place cakes on the boards and sandwich together. Level top and sides with a knife. Then mask all over with any remaining buttercream, before covering with cling film and leaving to settle for at least an hour. 

Decorating 

650g/22oz milk chocolate

350g/12oz white cooking chocolate

12" cake drum

6" thin cake board

food colours

board ribbon

glucose syrup

icing sugar

3 pieces of dowelling

4oz sugarpaste

ribbon

a small amount of dark brown royal icing for shells around bottom

Equipment

football moulds 

letter and number moulds

paintbrush

small star cutter

Finishing

1. Melt the milk chocolate in a bowl over a pan of just-boiled water taken off the heat to minimalize sugar bloom. Or temper it, if you prefer by using a cooking thermometer and the correct method.
2. Remove the cling film from the cakes and smother the bottom tier all over, with two-thirds of the chocolate. Then place one piece of dowelling through the cake and mark the point where it sticks out and is level with the top of the cake. Pull out and cut off at that mark. Then using it as a guide, cut off the other two at the same level and push through the cake to create a triangle shape just visible through the chocolate.Sit the 6" cake and board on top of the 8" cake, sitting over the just visible tips of the dowelling. Smother with most of the remaining chocolate, bringing it down the sides to meet the join of the 8" cake. Any remaining chocolate smother over the edge of the board.
   
Making the chocolate footballs -  melt 270 g/ 9oz of the white chocolate using the just boiled water method. Then making sure that the football mould is clean and dry, spoon in enough melted white chocolate to cover the mould - then hold it upside down and allow any excess to drip out, repeat with a second coating. Place in the fridge to set. The melted milk chocolate splodges on the footballs can be painted on afterwards or painted onto the mould before the white chocolate is added. Repeat the making of the football until you have about eight to ten footballs. Whilst you're making the footballs, use the letter and number moulds to make the letters and numbers you require.
3. For the badge - use a template by using silicone paper to trace around the football team badge you require. Then, roll out a thin sausage of white sugarpaste and place around the outline you have drawn. Filling a plastic piping bag with white chocolate, flood the area inside the sugarpaste. Leave to set in the fridge. Once set, cut away the sugarpaste outline and then you'll have a base onto which you can paint the required team emblem. Or if you prefer, order an edible copy from an on-line company and stick it on to the chocolate base using dabs of white chocolate around the edges. Also, while you're making your emblem base, use the same sugarpaste method, to make a stand to place at the back, to support your chocolate badge.
4. White chocolate scarf, stars and football boots -  these are made by adding 90g/3oz white chocolate, 90g/3oz icing sugar and three or four tsp glucose syrup. Mix all together. The consistency must be as pliable as sugar paste so may need adjusting until suitable. More icing sugar, if too sticky or more glucose if too dry. Once made, work quickly. Roll out the scarf, and place around the bottom of the top tier, paint on stripes in team colours. Make the boots and stars. Now, place all your decorations onto the cake and finish off with ribbons and a shell border around the bottom tier.