This is a beautiful moist and delicious chocolate cake with the
crunch of toasted pistachios and almonds on the side topped off with
rich ganache and chocolate flowers. Perfect for Christmas or any other
special gathering.
Chocolate Cake Ingredients:
Makes two 8inch (20.32 centimetres) round cakes or 24 cupcakes
200g (7.05 ounces) of 70% cocoa dark chocolate
315g (11.11 ounces) or 2 2/3 cups plus 1 Tbsp margarine
8 eggs
2 1/4 cups or 486g (17.14 ounces) caster (super fine) sugar
1 1/4 cups or 200g (7.05 ounces) plain flour (use GF flour if coeliac, this recipe has been tested with gluten free flour and works well)
1/4 cup or 30g (1.06 ounces) cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Chocolate Cake Recipe Directions:
1. Place chocolate and margarine into a bowl.
2. Melt in the microwave (30seconds, stir, 30sec, stir…).
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together
4. Combine egg and chocolate mixtures
5. Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together and mix into cake mixture until well blended.
6. Pour into two 20cm (7.87 inches) round cake tins
7. Bake in slow oven. If the cake is looking done on top but is not
yet cooked through put an empty baking tray on the shelf above it in the
oven. Insert a knife into the centre to check if it is done, if it is
ready it will come out clean.
For the decoration
600 millilitres (20.29 fluid ounces) or 2 1/3 cups plus 1 Tbsp cream (35% fat)
Whip the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until just thickened. Divide
your bowl into half and then one half into thirds. Use one of these
smaller portions between the layers. Add a generous spoon of ganache to
the larger portion and mix in, use this to cover the sides of the cake.
100g (3.53 ounces) or 1 cup flaked almonds
100g (3.53 ounces) or 3/4 cup pistachios, chopped
Roast the almonds and pistachios on a tray in the oven at 180
ºC (356ºF) or approx 5 minutes. Leave to cool
Press the nuts onto the side of the cake as shown in the video.
Ganache Recipe
350g (12.35 ounces) milk chocolate
100 millilitres (3.38 fluid ounces) or 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp and 1 tsp cream (35% fat)
Break the chocolate and put into a bowl. Bring the cream to a boil
and then pour over the chocolate. Leave to sit for a couple of minutes
and then stir until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the
bench overnight to firm up.
Use the ganache to decorate the top of the cake.
Chocolate Flower Tutorial
How to temper chocolate and what chocolate to use for chocolate decorations
