Thursday, April 21, 2011

Tim Tam Cake

Tim Tam Cake
Hiya! After all the pretty Easter treats I shared with you last week, I'm now giving you a lumpy brown cake. But this is no ordinary chocolate cake. Does it look familiar to you? It is my homage to my favourite Arnott's biscuit, the ever-awesome Tim Tam. If you've never had a Tim Tam from Australia, you're missing out. If you don't like Tim Tams, I'm sorry but we can't be friends. These biscuits are one of the few chocolate treats that I am powerless to resist, I can eat an entire packet of Tim Tams in one sitting. (Which is why I hardly ever buy them anymore. I ate half a packet while I was making this cake!)
Tim Tam Cake
So as I was saying, this is no ordinary chocolate cake. It is a Tim Tam cake. It looks like a giant Tim Tam AND it has a pack of Tim Tams hidden inside it. Insanity. Also delicious. And easy!! Ever since I made my Iced Vovo Cake for Australia Day, I've had demands for all kinds of other Arnott's inspired cakes. I decided to save my Tim Tam cake attempt for Tomred's birthday (Happy Birthday for Saturday Tomred!), and I am quite surprised by the results. The idea was simple enough, chocolate cake with a butter icing filling and chocolate ganache drizzled on top, but I was super worried the cake would just be far too rich and heavy. So I decided to use a very light and fluffy chocolate sponge recipe for the cake, which made it more like the light chocolate biscuits you find in a Tim Tam. It worked perfectly, and made the cake soooo much lighter and less rich than my usual chocolate cake recipe. The thin layer of gooey chocolate ganache, and the slightly denser chocolate icing in the middle give this cake a whole range of different textures. It really surprised me how much easier this cake was to eat just because of the lighter sponge.
Tim Tam Cake
Now I realise my outer layer of chocolate is a bit darker than an original Tim Tam, so it looks more like a dark Tim Tam. I couldn't help it, I didn't buy enough milk chocolate! But the ganache worked great, as it started to thicken up I spread it all over the top of the cake and used a spatula to create the little ripples in the surface that you always see on a Tim Tam. Definitely not going to win any awards for being pretty or delicate, but it will make any Tim Tam lover (or chocolate lover) extremely happy. I didn't realise the biscuits in Tim Tam are actually malted, or I would have added some Milo or malted milk powder to the cake mixture too! Feel free to do it. Anywhoo I'm so excited to be having this super long weekend off to do absolutely nothing as I am completely sleep deprived, I hope everyone has a happy and safe Easter and Anzac Day. Oh and it seemed like good timing to be to making this cake for Anzac Day too! I dare someone to make this and do a giant Tim Tam slam.
Tim Tam Cake
Tim Tam Cake
(Chocolate sponge recipe from Gourmet Traveller, serves 10)
NOTE: To beginner bakers, if you are unfamiliar with sponge recipes you might want to read up on some tips on how to make a successful sponge cake before starting. Gourmet Traveller has a great article. If you prefer a higher cake to icing ratio, double the quantities below for the cake batter. You can also substitute the cake recipe for any light chocolate cake that you are more comfortable making.
4 large eggs
110g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
65g cornflour (cornstarch)
35g (¼ cup) Good quality cocoa powder
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the cake filling:
100g butter, removed from the fridge 30 minutes before starting
150g chocolate, melted (I used semi-sweet, you can also use milk)
3 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp milk
Optional: 1 packet of Tim Tam biscuits, crushed
(If you wanted to mix things up a bit so it's not just all chocolate, you could mix a cup of raspberries into this icing, or maybe use mint chocolate instead?)

For the chocolate ganache topping:
300ml pouring cream (min. 35% milk fat pure cream)
400g milk chocolate (I only had 200g milk so I had to use some dark, which is why my ganache is a bit darker than I would prefer for a tim tam)

Line two 17x27cm rectangular slice/brownie tins, or one larger sheet cake tin with non-stick baking paper. (I actually only had one small tin, so I split all the ingredients in half and baked two separate cakes one after the other and it worked great!) Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Whisk eggs and sugar in an electric mixer until thick and pale (5-6 minutes, go nuts and don't underwhip). Sift over cornflour, cocoa, flour, cream of tartar and bicarb soda, fold in with spatula. Fold in butter, spoon into prepared tin. Bake in centre of oven until the centre of the cake springs back when lightly pressed (10-12 minutes). Turn onto baking paper covered wire rack and cool completely. (If you baked one large cake, cut into two equal sized rectangular cakes)
Tim Tam Cake
To prepare chocolate icing filling, beat butter light and fluffy and then gradually add sifted icing sugar and beat until smooth and pale. Add melted chocolate and milk and beat until smooth. (You can adjust the amount of milk you add to get the icing to the texture you want) Spread icing over the top of one of the cakes (Note: you don't need to use all of it, I made it about 1-2cm thick), and leave space to (if you want) place tim tams along the centre of the icing. (I saw a great tip from someone who made it, that it's even better if you crush up the tim tams before you put them in the middle to make it a lot easier to cut the cake later.) Sandwich other cake on top of the icing and biscuits. To prepare the chocolate ganache topping, break up chocolate into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Slowly heat cream in a small saucepan. Just as it starts to come to the boil, remove from the heat and cool for a couple minutes. Pour hot cream over chocolate and set aside 10 minutes to allow chocolate to melt. Mix cream and chocolate together until smooth using a whisk, then cool (I placed mine in the fridge for about 15 mins) until it reaches room temperature and thickens. Pour over the top of the cake, using a spatula to ensure the ganache covers all the top and sides of the cake (the excess will drip off everywhere so make sure you lay down some baking paper to catch the drips). Chill in the fridge until the ganache sets, then peel off the bottom baking paper and serve cake at room temperature. P.S. I used a big cookie cutter to cut out a 'bite' of the cake, which I really liked the look of. The cake looks less Tim Tam-like when it's whole!

Tim Tam Cake
Edit: You can also see a version of this idea in Australian Good Taste Magazine, it has an easier chocolate cake recipe and they've called it a 'Timtastic Cake'. What a co-inky-dink. (And also on Taste.com.au as a Tim Tam Cake)
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169 comments:

  1. just showed this around the office... looks SO much like a tim tam in the first pic!

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  2. Imagine a Tim Tam SLAM with this! Next?? Monte Carlo??

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    1. That would be awesome! But how would you dip it?

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  3. OMG! you had me at tim tam and that looks frigging amazing!

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  4. Phuoc - Hahah thanks for reminding me, I meant to mention the slam in my post!

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  5. Holy cow, you are a baking goddess!! This is amazing!!!!!!!! Arhhhhhhhhh ~ *licks screen*

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  6. that's freaking awesome!!! the ripples and everything eeeeeeeeee so cute!

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  7. It's crazy how much it really does look like a tim tam! You're a genius Steph lol

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  8. Doesn't matter if your cake is slightly darker in color because OMG when I saw the cake the thought MEGA-TIM TAM came to mind! This is something I'll definitely try soon cos I LOVE timtam to bits too (although it's more ex here where I'm at) and I just love the ones with mint inside :D

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  9. Oh, my! This is EXACTLY what I need right now! :P

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  10. That really looks like a giant Tim Tam! How awesome.

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  11. I really do love every creation you posted... Very creative and inspiring..:)

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  12. Hmmm! Yum! Would like to try this out!

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  13. Wow, I can't get over how much that looks like a Tim Tam.

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  14. haha this is so awesome! I'm loving your Arnott's biscuit cakes, can't wait to see what you're going to come up with next!

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  15. Oh my GOSH. This looks insane. This looks delicious. This needs to be in my fridge immediately!!!!! I am making this one!!! You are a genius!

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  16. That looks friggin amazing!! I lived in Melbourne for two years and ate my own body weight in Tim Tams on a reguler basis!

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  17. This looks amazing Steph! Exactly like a ginormous tim tam. I'm sure it would have tasted amazing!

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  18. The tim tam cake is divine. It looks delicious and I bet it tasted even better. I'm going to try making this myself this Easter Sunday.. it will surprise everyone:) Thanks for the inspiration.

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  19. Wow! Great job.. What about a cherry ripe? I'm from Singapore and they dont sell cherry ripes here. I get my friends to buy me a bag each time they go to australia.

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  20. OMFG, that looks so good... I think i just came a little

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  21. That looks amazing! Exactly like a timtam!

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  22. ITS HUGE! did you scoff it all in one sitting? :D

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  23. What in the world is a tim tam and I need one now! Looks Delicious.

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  24. Oh my word... What a fantastic, creative, absolutely mouth-watering idea. I can't stop looking at it, and my mind is crying out, "I want it! I want it!"

    I might have to succumb and make it this weekend. :D Love your blog!

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  25. I've only recently discovered the wonderful Tim Tam's! An Aussie friend of mine sent me a care package with the treats and my family devoured them. Your cake it another ideal way to use them, well...that is if you have any left over!

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  26. OMG this is amazing! I know what you mean about not buying time tams anymore, have one and you've gotta have the rest of the packet. I think I know what to make for my tim tam crazed friend now. Thanks so much for sharing this!

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  27. Oh God. I think I'm in love.

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  28. I have never had a Tim Tam before, but this looks delicious!

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  29. Looks like a British Penguin...is that right?...cake looks GREAT and I could eat a slice right now!!

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  30. Oh wow, that looks amazing. Want!

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  31. This is just crazy cool, a cake that looks like a tim tam hiding a packet of tim tams. I love the way you think and bake :)

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  32. I LOVE TIM TAM! I WANT THIS CAKE!!

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  33. This looks so cool! I can't resist tim tams either.

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  34. Happy Easter! Haha that looks epic.. love the little bite you put in ^^

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  35. OMG that first photo! It looks exactly like a tim tam!!!! Oh my gawd I want one now especially with that super thick wadge of icing.

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  36. This looks utterly and completely fantabulous!!!!! I could totally go for a large slice of this:)

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  37. We LOVE tim tams! This cake is absolutely gorgeous and I am definetly going to be making this!

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  38. OMG!!! This is the most awesome cake ever, I so want to dive right in!!!

    Absolute chocolate genius, I could start another chocolate bender if I got hold of this! YUM!!!

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  39. hey tht looks DELICIOUS !!! love your blog :)
    happy baking....do stop by my blog

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  40. I put your blog link in my blog :)
    teddy bear princess: teddy bear macarons
    I really love your recipes :D it's awsome but simple and cute :)

    HAPPY EASTER <3

    LotsOfLoves
    teddy bear princess
    or see my newest post

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  41. My daughter returned from Australia with several packages of Tim Tams...I have got to make this cake for her for her birthday in December; even if all I can find are the Pepperidge Farm variety. She will be so excited...thank you, great idea!

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  42. Giant Tim Tam! And haha, giant Tim Tam slam!

    Hope you're having a great Easter, and looking forward to more giant cakes from you now =D

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  43. holy crap... i wish i hadn't seen this... my sister just packed the fridge full of tim tams.. how can i resist now? :P

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  44. wow this looks soo amazing.. would love to try it out but Tim tams are not freely available over here and when they are they are too expensive. But will try asking my uncle to send some for me. would love to try this out.

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  45. hopefull - Read the recipe, you don't really need Tim tams to make the cake. It still tastes great without the biscuit inside it.

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  46. OMG that is AWESOME. I love Tim Tams (they're SO expensive and hard to come by in the UK!), and am loving this cake. You rock.

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  47. Totally mouth-watering! No one can resist the charm of chocolates. Tim Tams are really expensive but if this would be the output, then I'd still go for it.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  48. Oh damn my diet! This is amazing. No chocolate biscuit can beat a Tim Tam. They used to sell these other Arnott's chocolate biscuits in Singapore that had fruit and nut in them. They were really good too, but disappeared some years ago. I wonder if they still have them in Australia.

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  49. We can pretty much be besties now. My mind = blown. I can eat tim tams til the cows come home!! This looks AMAZING!!

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  50. OMG awesome..It's like pop art Tim Tam's supersized.

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  51. ohh you are so talented!!!! i love this so much!!! and i love tim tams so proud to be aussieee :)

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  52. how good does this look!! heheh

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  53. I want I want I want! absolutely love tim tams

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  54. I just found this and I love it! Tim Tams are my favorite! My friends from New Zealand brought us Tim Tams and taught us how to Tim Tam Slam! I have to make this for them!

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  55. Is there any way to place an order for this with you? It looks like a slab of heaven!!! I am in NY, NY.

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  56. Anonymous - Errr I'm in Australia and I don't take orders, sorry!

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  57. Oh my goodness that looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!

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  58. omg...this looks so delicious. I feel guilty just looking at it but will try making a smaller piece!

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  59. This is just..

    wow..

    I think I want to have your babies.

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  60. Hi there!

    Big TIM TAM and small TIM TAM - brilliant! Look yummeh =)

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  61. I'm going to make this for my birthday next week and would love to add the milo but I have no idea how to adjust the recipe without making it flop! Any advice? PS. i love love LOVE your blog!

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  62. Sarah - I'm not too sure, you may have to just do it by trial and error! I wouldn't change any of the amounts of flour or baking soda, maybe take some of the cocoa powder out, like half of it and replace it with the milo? You might also want to grind up the milo in a food processor or mortar and pestle as it is so much coarser than cocoa powder. Good luck, I hope it works out!!

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  63. Well, I did it! In the end, I decided to forgo the milo and just play it safe. Unfortunately, I had huge issues with my presentation, but it tasted fantastic!

    Thanks for such an awesome idea!

    If you want to check out my cake you can see it here:
    http://cisforcheesecake.blogspot.com/2011/05/happy-birthday-to-me-tim-tam-cake.html

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  64. Sarah - Fantastic! I think you did a great job and Happy Birthday for last week! I'm sorry you had issues with the ganache, if it helps I'd say to break up your chocolate into smaller pieces next time, and use a whisk to help melt the last small bits of chocolate. Also if you let your ganache cool and thicken a bit more then hopefully it won't soak into the cake as much! I hope you had fun making it though!

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  65. thanks so much for the feedback! I still have a lot to learn but I keep getting better (I hope!) I did have a lot of fun. I'm hoping to make the mint slice cake for my husband's birthday in August. I'll let you know how I go :)

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  66. i LOVE tim-tams. I love the idea of a tim-tam cake. i would eat the entire thing. lol

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  67. OMG. i die. that's amazing. there are no words!!!
    http://incurablelibertine.tumblr.com/

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  68. ohhh goood! I want this. Now I want tim tam. They look delicious

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  69. my life just changed forever.

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  70. This is BRILLIANT!!!

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  71. This is BRILLIANT!!!

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  72. Well, when I first saw this my comment was.......

    "Whoever created this is most certainly going to Heaven!!!"

    I can't wait to try this cake. It looks AMAZING!!!!

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  73. So, I followed the recipe and it looks NOTHING like the picture... Imagine a cake disguised as a crepe... WHAT THE HECK! Disappointment to the MAX!!! What went wrong?! Does this recipe actually yield ANYTHING that even resembles the picture you posted with it?!

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    1. Anonymous - are you Australian? I only ask because our tablespoon and cup sizes are different. We use a 20ml tablespoon, and a 250ml cup. Perhaps this is where you struck difficulties? I also agree with Stephcookie that your post comes across as a little aggressive.

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  74. Anonymous - I'm very sorry your cake didn't turn out well. This recipe has been remade by countless people successfully, and I have reused it myself with no problems at all. The cake recipe originates from Gourmet Traveller (an Australian food magazine), which means that it has been properly recipe tested and successfully used by many people before I even laid eyes on it. It is a sponge cake, which can be quite delicate and tricky if you are not familiar with making sponges. If your cakes turned out flat, then you probably didn't whip the egg whites for long enough, or lost too much air out of the mixture when combining the eggwhites into the batter. You could try reading up on some tips on how to make sponges successfully, or substitute it with a chocolate cake recipe that you are more familiar with before you go and rudely attack the recipe posted above.

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    1. Here you say that you are to beet the egg whites, where as in the recipe you say eggs (whole) can you please specify...

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    2. My mistake! I mean whole eggs, don't know why I said egg whites here

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  75. I don't like Tim Tams but I love this cake! Well done!

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  76. i think you just made my husband's year! we are american but his one year living in AUS has created an Aussie heart for life. We are obsessed with tim Tams and will drive 3 hours to buy a package for 10 dollars! We are so making this cake for his birthday!! thank you so much for sharing! (found it on pinterest)


    the whity wife
    theyoungandmarried.blogspot.com

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  77. From America. I lived in New South Wales for a couple of years in the mid-nineties. About a year ago, an American company started making these (they are either imported or an exact replica, but the packaging is totally American.) Anyway. Favorite. Biscuit. Ever. I've even taught my ankle-biters to say "Bikkies" instead of "cookies." My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

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  78. And Whity Wife: Pepperidge Farm makes these now. You can buy them in the cookie aisle right by their stuff for a few dollars.

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  79. Science Teacher Mommy - Yes! To call a Tim Tam a cookie would be sacrilege :)

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  80. OMGosh!! I LOVE TIM TAMS!! I'm definitely going to make this!! I think you must be my sister from another mister! ;)

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  81. This cake is amazing! I just made it for my daughter's birthday. It took me awhile to convert the measurements into cups/tablespoons! I made it in 2 round pans so it looks more like a Ding Dong but tastes like a Tim Tam. YUM!

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  82. thank you! thank you! thank you! I hate cooking, baking and generally speaking any action that involves me and food other then eating, yet I made this cake yesterday for a our HanuChristmas party and it was awesome! really... the belle of the ball :)

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  83. Thanks for a terrific recipe! My 14 year old daughter made up one for my DH birthday this week.
    http://www.aspoonfulofsugardesigns.com/2011/12/tim-tam-cake.html

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  84. I live in the United States and have never heard of Tim Tams. Your cake looks delicious and I would love the try it. Are Tim Tams chocolate-covered shortbread cookies? Also, what is caster sugar? I think I can convert your measurements. Your cake looks fabulous. Thanks for answering the questions.

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  85. sherrikw - Google is your friend! 'A Tim Tam is composed of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate.' Caster sugar is superfine white sugar in the US.

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  86. Tim Tams are my FAVORITE! Years ago, before I could get them in the U.S., I brought a huge bag full of them home from Australia. I'm excited to try this. Thanks!

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  87. SO I made this and just used instant cake mix. Turned out well!

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  88. Just a quick question, when you say 180 degrees is that for a fan-forced oven?

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    1. elyse - I don't have a fan in my oven, but if you're using fan-forced it should be fine at the same temperature so long as you keep an eye on it as the baking time might be shorter. It's hard to say, every oven is different!

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  89. After reading all the reviews, saw questions no answer, what are Tim tams and where do you buy them. Sorry I've never heard of them? Who makes them?thanks, the cake looks awsome and I want to make it.

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    1. Google is your friend! It could have answered all your questions and saved you from having to read all the comments and posting your own. Also, if you had read the first paragraph of my post, I linked to the wikipedia page for Tim Tams which would also have answered your questions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tam

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  90. When you say chocolate is that eating chocolate or the cooking chocolate??

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    1. Baking chocolate is horrible stuff and I never use it! Good quality chocolate makes a big difference.

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  91. Hi! For the choc cake filling, what if I use cocoa powder instead of normal milk choc? Will the filling still hold? :)

    PS: I already plan to add a bit of pure vanilla bean paste to up the ante!

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    1. Hmm you can try but it might make the texture of the icing a bit grainy? Up to you!

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  92. I just made this cake today for my dad's birthday. I have got to say this cake is just amazing. The sponge is beautiful and light, the cake filling tastes exactly like Tim Tam's and my brother and Dad said it was the best cake they have ever tasted and I have been baking for years so thanks so much Steph for this winner recipe!!

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  93. Oh wow I'll be making that next Australia day!

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  94. Now this is a great idea, move over Oreos, Tim Tam is here! I fell in love with these cookies in New Zealand

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  95. You inspired me, I had to try this! I credited your recipe in my blog, here: http://goodfoodhappylife.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/new-level-of-sickly-decadence-tim-tam.html

    Thanks!

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  96. I made this cake and since I am not a baker I made a few mistakes. For the filling I think I should have whipped the butter alone until light and then add the sugar. Also, to melt chocolate for the cake batter pop the crumbled chocolate in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then stir quickly to melt.

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    1. Anonymous - Reading the recipe over, you're absolutely right it's a lot easier to beat the butter alone first before adding the icing sugar. I've updated the recipe to reflect that. Though, did you mean the melted chocolate for the icing, not for the cake batter? If so, that's also a neat trick I use when I'm too lazy to melt it over a double boiler :) thanks for the feedback!

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  97. Oh my... this is going on my list to cook. The worst thing is I am trying to lose weight and this isn't going to help, then again a little taste won't hurt I will just have to work harder at the gym and burn the calories off. My husband thanks you a million times as he LOVES tim tams and yes he can also polish off a whole packet of tim tams in one sitting as well (a hoover experience). So I will be trying this in the next couple of days.

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  98. I have never been to Australia, unfortunately, and have never had a Tim Tam, again, unfortunately... but being a chocolate-holic, I would love to try this recipe. Do you know what the conversions would be for an American recipe?

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  99. fantastic cake, but I cant suck my coffee through the tim tam, its a tradition to dip tim tam into tea or coffee and suck like mad YUM!

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  100. just wondering why you just put the tim tams down the middle
    or have i read it wrong ? could you put biscuits to cover the
    whole cake ?
    cant wait to make it . looks fantastic :)

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    1. Yes, you can see in the second last photo that I put them in the middle of the filling. You don't even need to have them at all, I just thought it would be a fun surprise. Other people have crushed the biscuits and put them in the filling to make it easier to crush. I guess you could cover the cake in them but then it wouldn't really look like a giant tim tam anymore...

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  101. Hello!
    Firstly, I cannot WAIT to try this one out!! I was wondering though, is just 1 tablespoon of plain flour used in the entire sponge? I am a sponge virgin and so I'm not sure if this is normal! I look forward to hearing from you!!

    Thanks!
    Elly

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    1. Yup it's only 1 tbsp of plain flour, this recipe uses more cornflour/cornstarch for the dry mixture

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  102. The cake looks more gorgeous than the Tim Tam! Are you sure you really took the "bite" off with a cookie cutter???

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    1. Hah! Yes it was definitely the cookie cutter, not me!

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  103. WOW! This is my first time to your blog and I'm hooked! Great Job and Looking forward to your posts! :))

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  104. This cake is amazing! Nice work. Gorgeous blog and pictures too.

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  105. I fell in love with Tim Tams when I was living in Australia. I can hardly wait to make this dessert. Thank you!

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  106. I've just made this cake, but the sponges seem a little thin. How thick are they meant to be?

    The ganache was a bit too runny at first, but I just put it back in the fridge for longer. So it was fine.

    Will try it soon. Thanks

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    Replies
    1. They are usually about 3cm thick, if they are a little thin you might need to whip the eggs a little longer and make sure not to lose too much volume when folding the batter. Hopefully it will still taste good even without the height though!

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  107. This looks amazing. I have 2 UK contractors working in my office and they are Timtam obsessed. As one of them has a birthday on Monday I've decided this will be my Sunday arvo project.

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  108. oh I thik its so fantastic! I guess calories also amazing ;)

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  109. Absolutely awesome!!! it's so yummy I can't do anything but keep on looking at the screen!
    Great super-choco-recipe ;-)

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  110. I contacted you before about your milo cake and now I've found you again googling Tim tam cake :) going to try this one for my mums birthday on the weekend :)

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  111. I made this for my husband's birthday. So good! Thanks for sharing the recipe and idea. Loving following your amazing baking skills.

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  112. Thank you so much for this great recipe and wonderful blog. So very inspiring! I made an attempt at this cake this weekend and was very pleased with the results :) http://plentyofpastimes.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/tim-tam-cake.html

    Just wondering, what do you recommend for storing the cake if (shock horror) there is any left?

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  113. So I had a house warming yesterday, and the Tim Tam cake was the big ticket item on the bill. It was the first time I'd used the oven to bake a cake, and the first time I'd made a sponge, so it could have been a disaster considering I started baking it four hours before people started turning up - but success!
    Greatest issue was moving the cake from the baking paper and tray onto a serving board. I was concerned the sponge wouldn't handle the weight well and would start breaking through the wire tray. If I had a tray with more wires this could have been easily averted. Alternatively, if I'd constructed the cake on the serving board and just mopped up the excess chocolate, it would have been fine.
    I crushed up a whole pack of original Tim Tams and piled them on top of the chocolate cream filling like a lasagne. Next time I'll actually mix them into the cream filling and probably only use half a pack of biscuits - the filling was really thick, and when I came to the chocolate ganache, it didn't stick to the dry crushed biscuits.
    If I'd had time to do it a few hours in advance, and room in the fridge, I'd recommend setting in the fridge for two hours before serving, and use a knife dipped in boiling water to cut it.
    Thinking about doing this again for Christmas, perhaps with the Mint Tim Tams for a different kick in the centre. I can make the components the day before and transport it unassembled, then construct it on site.
    Thanks for the great recipe, and for tempting me to make a sponge! Definitely a hit at the house warming.

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  114. Oh my god! I just discovered this recipe. I studied abroad in Australia (Brisbane) while I was in college and I became absolutely addicted to TimTams. Definitely had them probably every day (oops!) and always did the straw trick with my tea :) SO good!!!

    If only I had Australia Tim Tams at my disposal to make this!!

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  115. dont worry about the colour Steph, its chocolate!!! what more can I say

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  116. We are all on a Clean Eating/Paleo Diet as myself my daughter and son in law are fitness trainers. However I know that when I make this, exceptions will be made. can't wait

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  117. HELP PLEASE! Wanted to make this for a Christmas party but got stuck on the cake part of the recipe -

    The ingredients list has butter in the icing part but not in the cake part yet in the instr5ustions, it clearly says to FOLD IN BUTTER - how much butter? And why fold it in? I've never folded butter into a completed batter before...

    thanks -

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    1. Lynn, please read the recipe again carefully. There IS butter in the cake sponge cake ingredients : "50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled". You fold it in because it is melted.

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    2. THANK YOU!!!
      My eyes are old and evidently letting me down these days - rofl

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    3. Oops, I forgot the butter, but added 1 heaped spoon of Milo that I sifted with the dry ingredients. The cake is a bit more slice like but tastes just like Tim Tams. Winning!

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  118. I made this on the weekend for a morning tea at work...

    Turned out fantastic and it was my first ever attempt at spounge cake

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  119. Looks gorgeous, only problem is they don't have Tim Tam's in Greece only back home. Boo hoo

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  120. So I made this the other day and it was awesommmeeeeee . I cant wait to make the rest of your creative cakes throughout the summer :)

    http://theclassydevil.blogspot.com.au

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  121. Just made it.its delicious

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  122. Turned out well, but only enough for half the cake... any tips for altitude? think that's why it sunk a little...

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    1. If it rose okay and then sunk you may need to bake it for longer or cool it down more gradually. The cake should spring back when you press your finger on the surface

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  123. I've been looking forward to making this cake FOREVER! I've been hoarding boxes of Tim Tams to make it for ANZAC Day this year. (I live in the States, and it's been impossible to find them this year - picked several packs up in NYC and Montreal.) (I know I only need one box for this but c'mon, who's gonna buy just one box?)

    Two quick questions - is the Dutch-process cocoa vital, or can I use regular cocoa and achieve the same consistency? (I'm not sure that I can find it here.) And I'm going to have to bake one cake at a time as well, did you leave the remaining batter out or put it in the fridge while the first was baking?

    Thanks!

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    1. Hi Abigail,

      The Dutch-process is not vital, regular cocoa should work just fine. I left the remaining batter out in the mixing bowl because I baked the second cake straight after taking out the first one. Since the baking time is so short you can get away with it. If you think you might have a longer break between baking the cakes I would probably keep it in the fridge.

      xx

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    2. Thanks so much! :)

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  124. Need to find a tea cup big enough to have a Tim Tam Orgasm with that! gosh...

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  125. Great recipe!!
    Made today for a surprise birthday party tomorrow!
    Not very experienced with sponge and first attempt didn't rise well so made again but doubled and made recipe twice rather than splitting in two tins. Going to back a couple of sponge cream rolls with first attempt! Haha!
    Filling and ganache worked perfectly and can't wait to try it tomorrow.
    Wonderful blog and keep up your amazing baking!!
    Sarah :)
    Ps. Pictures on my Instagram - sarahnd

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  126. You are a genius! That looks amazing and I WILL make it|

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  127. My new favourite blog!

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  128. Whoa! I just found this - seriously amazing girl!!!!

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  129. Hi, Stheph.
    I loved you tim tam kake. I´ll look for this cookies.
    See you.

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  130. OH my golly gosh. Your cake seriously looks EXACTLY like a Tim Tam, only... ginormous (perfect for my 'only one biscuit' policy!). Love the fact that this actually has biscuits inside it as well as resembling the famed Tim Tam. And yes, I love those addictive little chocolate covered sandwich biscuits. So hopefully we can be friends... until we fight over the last Tim Tam ;)

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  131. http://www.buzzfeed.com/bradesposito/ways-to-eat-a-tim-tam

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  132. This is the greatest thing i have EVER seen

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  133. I just baked this cake and realised as I was pouring it into to tins that there wasn't enough. I should have doubled the mixture to an 8 egg sponge for 2 slice tins. I made the TimTam cake recipe on the taste website last week but the cake part was a bit dry so thought I would give this one a whirl. The last recipe was at least double the size of these ones, so please keep that in mind when making. The texture is nice and light though so I think with the adjustment it would be perfect. I can't be bothered remaking it so it will have to do. I made it fully gluten free for my sister after she saw the one I made last week (not gluten free), so I just used all gluten free plain flour for the corn+plain in the recipe and I also added a heaped tablespoon of milk powder to give a malty flavour as both malted milk powder and milo contain gluten. Obviously I will also be omitting the biscuits from the middle too but I don't think she'll mind :)

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    1. Hi Rachel, the note at the top of the recipe mentions that you can double the recipe. The original recipe makes quite a thin sponge but it was still enough when I made it. Your adjustments may have affected the volume of the final batter as well.

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  134. I made this for my husbands birthday yesterday and he lost his mind. He ate about a third of it by himself then took it to work and they all loved it too. He said it tasted exactly like a tim tam. Another happy customer here :)

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  135. I made this for my sister a couple of years back it was delicious and easily converted to gluten free

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  136. Being American, I am still a little confused about the differences between 'our' measuring cups/spoon amounts, and 'yours'. HELP! I LOVE chocolate cakes, and just have to make this one. ;-) I have a funny tale that I thought (hoped) might bring a smile, or even a laugh to you, today...I lived with my family in England for a little over a year, from the time I had just turned 12 until I was a little over 13 years old. One of the most embarrassing times of my young life happened when my mom, siblings and I went shopping for clothing for school one day. Imagine, if you will, walking up to a salesman at a sporting goods/clothing shop, and asking where we might find some 'PANTS' for myself and my brothers. Uh huh. You've got it. Little did we know back then, that 'PANTS' were what the British call(ed) 'underwear or panties', and that we should have asked where to find 'trousers'. I was SO wanting to hide behind anything, that day, when we found out how my mom had said the 'wrong' thing. It's funny, of course, nowadays, whenever I think back to that day...but, it's hard enough being a pre-teen, without such horrors happening, especially when visiting/living in a country foreign to one's own! I hope I never embarrass my little boy, especially without MEANING TO do so. ;-) Christie F.

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