Hi Janet, HUGE congratulations to your daughter (and happy birthday to her, in advance!). I’m so sorry that the chocolate tier has been causing you problems. The baked cake will have a few cracks (like in the photo in the tutorial: is your cracking much more dramatic than that?), but it’s usually just on the surface, so once you level the cake it’s absolutely fine.

However, excessive cracking is usually caused by too high an oven temperature. This cake is baked at a lower temperature than most, which could be the problem here? I have to admit, I’ve never used an Aga (I wish I had!), but I do think your cold shelf idea sounds like it should help! If that doesn’t work, you might be better off using one of the slightly cooler compartments of your Aga and baking the cake for a little longer? This cake really benefits from a low and slow cook— it’s super moist so it shouldn’t dry out.

I’d also recommend being really precise when you’re measuring the bicarb (too much raising agent can sometimes contribute to cracking too!). I probably would recommend using the Green & Black’s cocoa as opposed to the cacao, just in case the slightly different composition is having an effect on the batter? Otherwise, Kefir should be a fine substitution for the buttermilk (though I think it’s unlikely that the buttermilk is the culprit here).

I hope that’s helpful? My instinct is that the baking temperature is the issue, though I realise that’s not so easy to remedy in this case!

Hi Bethany! I haven’t tried using Stork in this recipe, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it (as much as I am usually a major proponent of Stork in cakes!). Stork usually makes for a lighter, fluffier cake, which doesn’t quite fit with the… fudgier (for lack of better word!) vibe of this recipe. If you did want to give it a go though, I’d definitely suggest using the block version (as opposed to the tub— I find the block behaves more like standard butter) and adding a pinch or two of salt to the batter!

You’re right— my mistake! It should be fixed now. In each individual layer of the cake it’s just the 1 splash of vanilla extract (so 3 splashes total across all 3 layers). I’ve listed the amount in ‘splashes’ rather than a specific measurement because you don’t need a whole lot (and vanilla is definitely a flavour that people have strong personal preferences about!): if I had to put a number on it, I’d say 1 splash = about 1/4 tsp here!

That’s brilliant— I hope your son loves the cake! I use large eggs for this recipe (for all of my recipes, actually!).

Hi Bernadette, you can absolutely use a different cocoa powder for this recipe! The quality does make a big difference (if you can find a cocoa powder that has been ‘Dutched’ or ‘Dutch-processed’, that’s a good indicator that the flavour will be extra good!), but this cake will still be delicious with a regular cocoa powder. The Valhrona one is my personal fave, but whatever you normally use/is available near you will be great!