Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Cake Recipe
(from BlueFinger’s recipe box)
Equipment
23cm x 13cm loaf tin, about 7cm deep
http://www.willieschocolateshop.com/cart/pages/chocolate-hazelnut-espresso-cake-recipe.html
Source: Willie's Chocolate Shop
Categories: chocolate, coffee, dessert, not tried, sweet
Ingredients
- 200g Venezuelan Hacienda Las Trincheras 72% chocolate, roughly chopped
- 250g dark muscovado sugar
- 225g slightly salted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 large eggs
- 200g hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped
- 150g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 180ml hot black coffee
- For the topping
- 150g white chocolate
- 150g mascarpone cheese
- 11 2 tbsp cold espresso coffee
- 4 whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned, for decoration
- Whole coffee beans, for decoration
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 170°C.
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Lightly grease the loaf tin with butter, then line with baking paper.
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Melt the chocolate for the cake in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water.
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Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
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Beat the sugar, butter and vanilla essence together in a bowl until soft and fluffy.
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Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the melted chocolate, followed by the chopped hazelnuts.
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Sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda into another bowl.
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Fold about a third of the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture, follow by about a third of the hot coffee, taking care not to over mix.
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Repeat until all the flour mixture and coffee have been combined.
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Tip the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, smooth the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 50–55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
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When the cake is cold, turn out of the tin, peel off the baking paper and place on a serving plate.
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Make the topping by melting the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water.
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Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone and coffee until evenly blended.
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Spread the mixture over the top of the cake.
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Using a fork, mark with wavy lines through the topping.
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Finally decorate with the toasted hazelnuts and a scattering of coffee beans.
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To store, keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.