30 October, 2018
Malted Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake
Malted Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake
Makes one 18cm diameter cake
This fabulous rich chocolatey brownie like cake is made with a hint of malt and layered with smooth hazelnut mousse soaked in chocolate fudge sauce… it truly is what you need on a cold autumn day with hot cup of coffee.
It is not at all difficult to make and the marshmallow web decoration on top creates a true show stopper of a cake on a spooky Halloween evening or bonfire night.
I’m sharing steps of preparation and little description of how to make marshmallow web to decorate your cake (if you wish to do so that is) You can only cover your cake in butter cream if wish so, and decorate wit different kinds of sweets.
~~~~~
Little note: Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before starting!
Firstly grease and line two 18cm cake tins with parchment paper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 180’C and start the sponge mix.
Get large bowl and held mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment ready.
For the cake
250g vegetable shortening (or veg spread)
200g coconut sugar, i used Coconut Merchant
140g soft light brown muscovado sugar
Beat well sugars and spread on a high speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth and airy.
In the medium bowl mix the following:-
160g buttermilk (room temperate)
3tbsp Meridian malt extract
4 large free range eggs
Sift below ingredients in the dry clean bowl:-
200g spelt flour
3tbsp/ 90g Ovaltine (malt drink power)
1.5tsp baking powder
70g cocoa powder I used Food thoughts
Pinch of salt
Now, reduce mixer speed and start adding wet mix and dry sifted flours alliterating them by little bits a time until all well mixed and all incorporated. Mix should be smooth and welvety.
Divide mix evenly between 2 prepared tins and skater 50g chocolate melts or chocolate chips, or even broken chocolate pieces on top.
Bake in preheated to 180’C oven for 30-35min or until skewer will come out clean.
Whilst it is baking we can prepare fudge sauce.
Chocolate fudge sauce
100g foodthoughts 70% cacao melts or dark chocolate
150g glucose
Pinch of salt
50g golden castor sugar
120g whipping cream
2tbsp Meridian malt extract
Place melts or chocolate in heat proof bowl. Take heavy based saucepan and add sugar, salt, glucose and cream and malt. Place on a medium heat and bring slowly to simmer. Pour over melts and leave for a minute. Then give it a mix until melted and smooth.
Set aside till needed to cool down until needed to use.
Your cake should be done now. Remove it from the oven and leave in the tins for couple minutes. Then place on the wire rack and cool down completely before assembling.
Hazelnut mousse layer (this needs to be made straight before assembling)
6g powder gelatine
50ml cold water
Soak the gelatine in water until it blooms, for around 5 minutes. Then place in the microwave for couple seconds to melt the gelatine. Set it aside to cool whilst doing the following step.
In the large bowl place:-
170g Meridian hazelnut butter
100g whipping cream (room temperature)
80g icing sugar
And whisk with an electric whisk until smooth. Whilst the whisk is working start adding gelatine pouring it slow stream. Give another whiz around the bowl and you are good to go and assemble.
Transfer the mousse in to piping bag and cut the tip for piping. You can use a spoon if needed, but for the neater finish I advise to pipe the mousse.
ASSEMBLE
Place one brownie sponge on the serving plate, now pipe ring of mousse around the edge, and another ring on top of it to create a border. Pour the fudge sauce in the ring and pipe the remainder of the mousse spiral pattern. Place second sponge on top and put the cake in the fridge until you get your buttercream ready.
Malt buttercream
In clean stand mixer bowl place;-
250 soft room temperature butter
50g Meridian smooth almond butter
230 powdered sugar
30 Ovaltine
Pinch of salt
1tbsp milk
Beat well until smooth and airy.
Let’s do first uncoloured crumb coat coverage of the cake. Spread thin layer of buttercream on the sides and top of the cake. Scrape to make it even. Place the cake in the fridge for it to harden.
Now add desired food colouring to the remaining butter cream, mix well and add more until reach the colour you want. Cover with cling film until you need to use it.
Now coat the cake nicely with the remaining butter cream (you can go crazy with colour combinations or just leave it plain if don’t want or have food colouring) and place it in the fridge for it to set for at least 30 minutes.
Marshmallow web
100g white marshmallows
1tbs water
Place marshmallows in the heat prove bowl and place in the microwave for 20sec intervals mixing in between until they melt. Take little bit of marshmallow and pull it apart using your fingers to create thin strands. Have your cake next to you so you can pull it around the cake creating messy web.
You need to work quickly and keep reheating them as they cool down it is hard to stretch the strands.
Decorate with more marshmallow and sweets. Using blow torch toast the marshmallows and strands to give the cake wow effect.
