Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line three 8" cake tins that are at least 2" deep
Make the sponge by mixing the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, ideally using an electric mixer
Add the eggs and milk, and whisk until fully incorporated
Add the self raising flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and whisk in until you can't see any flour anymore
Divide the mixture between the tins, use scales for accuracy
Bake them for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or remove from the tin and place on cooling racks
To make the chocolate buttercream mix the butter, cocoa powder and icing sugar together. Once it starts to come together add the milk and mix until smooth (you can add more milk if it's too stiff). For best results use an electric mixer
To make the Crunchie buttercream mix the butter and icing sugar together. Once it starts to come together add the milk and Crunchie spread and mix until smooth (you can add more milk if it's too stiff). For best results use an electric mixer
If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a knife
Put one of the sponges on a decorating turntable and pipe a border of chocolate buttercream around the edge of the sponge
Fill in the centre of the sponge with some Crunchie buttercream, then add the next sponge on top
Do the same again - pipe a chocolate buttercream border and fill the centre with Crunchie buttercream, then add the final sponge on top
Use some chocolate buttercream to fully crumb coat the cake, then put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up
Coat the cake with a second layer of chocolate buttercream and smooth it out as best you can. Then put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour to set
To make the dark chocolate ganache chocolate drip, put the ingredients into a bowl and microwave for 20 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 10 second blasts, stirring between each blast, until melted and smooth
OR To make the cheat's dark chocolate drip, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 10 second blasts, stirring between each blast, until melted and smooth. Stir in the vegetable oil
Put your chosen chocolate drip mixture into a piping bag and snip a small section off the end
Pipe blobs around the edge of the cake, allowing the chocolate to drip down the sides in varying amounts
Use a palette knife to smooth the chocolate on the top of the cake. You can cover the whole top of the cake with chocolate it you like
Put the remaining Crunchie buttercream into a piping bag with your chosen nozzle and pipe swirls all around the edge of the cake
Place the chopped Crunchie bar pieces all around the edge and sprinkle more finely chopped up Crunchie bar pieces in the middle
Move the cake onto a serving plate or cake stand, and dig in! Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for 2-3 days
Notes
Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used a baking spread for the cake and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
Crunchie spread is available from Asda, Sainsburys and online. Check the recommend equipment and ingredient section below for an Amazon link. If you can't get hold of it, you can make extra chocolate buttercream and use that instead.
You can use any cocoa powder for this cake, of course the better quality it is, the better flavour it will have. Also do make sure you are using cocoa powder and not a hot chocolate powder.
For all the tips and tricks on how to make a drip cake, including a how to video, check out my Ultimate Drip Cake How To Guide!
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.