Friday 3 January 2014

Chocolate Espresso Cake with Caffe Latte Cream







 







Now this is what I call coffee and cake.


Chocolate Espresso Cake with Caffe Latte Cream
slightly adapted from Nigella Lawson's Feast

For the Cake:
150g dark chocolate chips
150g unsalted butter, room temperature and chopped
6 eggs, room temperature
250g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
75g cake flour
5 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/4 cup Tia Maria

For the Caffe Latte Cream:
75g white chocolate, chopped
375ml thickened cream
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Spray a 23cm round springform cake pan with cooking oil spray and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Put the dark chocolate chips and butter into a heat-proof bowl and melt it over a pan of simmering water. Don't let the pan touch the water. Cool slightly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Gently fold in the flour and espresso powder. Add the melted chocolate and butter and very gently fold that in too, keeping as much air in the batter as possible. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. This is a moist, moussy cake so it will leave moist crumbs clinging to a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake when tested for done-ness. Immediately pour the Tia Maria over the hot cake and set aside to cool completely on a wire rack before releasing it from the pan.

Make the Caffe Latte Cream:
Put the white chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and melt it over a pan of simmering water. Don't let the pan touch the water. Let it cool, then add the cream and espresso powder. Gently beat the chocolate and cream together until softly whipped to "floppy"stage. The chocolate will automatically thicken the cream, so go easy on the whipping (said the nun to the vicar.)



13 comments:

  1. I've nothing to say apart from the fact that I really want a piece of that incredible cake with this cream :) Even if it's for breakfast!

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    1. Breakfast cake - sounds fair enough to me. We are halfway there with the coffee?

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  2. You brought back memories of my mother with the Tia Maria bottle. It was one of her favorites to sip on back in the day. The cake - wow!

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    1. I have a bulging liquor cabinet, stuffed with gorgeous bottles of exotic tipples. I rarely drink the stuff. I just like to cook with it and look at the bottles (strange, aren't I?)

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    1. I think this is the Keira Kinghtley of cakes - lovely to look at.

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  4. What a gorgeous cake. I love that unique top from the Tia Maria -- just scrumptious. Happy 2014 to you, Jen!

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    1. Thank you so much Cynthia. I believe anything sprinkle with Tia Maria can't possibly be bad. I hope your 2014 is full of fun, love, happiness and fabulous food.

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  5. Sunken chocolate cakes are my absolute favourite... you just know that the centre is going to be divinely fudgy and moist. Love the sound of the Tia Maria and that incredible caffe latte cream. YUM.

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    1. Sunken chocolate cakes are the man! And no, I haven't been sipping on the Tia Maria.

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