DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE SMOTHERED IN CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING AND RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM
After 6 weeks of globe trotting I had a serious case of separation anxiety from my kitchen. Baking was in order and this beauty was the end result!
I build my creations around a recipe or hero ingredient. In this instance I had both - a chocolate cake that I really wanted to replicate and a new stock of Fresh As Nz freeze dried raspberries. My mash up of inspiration came from two favourite creatives: Jernej Kitchen and Don't Tell Charles. The pairing offered a play on light and dark which suited my post travel blues just fine!
The verdict: this will be replicated again and again. The richness of dark chocolate paired with light meringue buttercream and tart raspberries is sure to tickle your taste buds. So if you feel like whipping up something a little naughty and nice - give it a go!
I CONFESS
This Jernej Kitchen recipe requires a little bit of planning to put together. The chocolate cake is very quick to make. However, the chocolate cream cheese frosting needs extra prep time as it needs to be chilled before use.
Don't Tell Charles is launching a series of online workshops with step by step guides to making their signature buttercream. Be sure to check it out. Their recipe isn't mine to share, but I guarantee it's super easy, minimises the waste of pesky egg yolks and is deeeelicious! I attended one of Thao's workshops in person - find out about my experience on the blog 😊.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a great alternative to pair with the recipe below. I encourage you to just get creative! Find my method of using Fresh As freeze dried powder in your icing on my post Taste of the Tropics.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
2 eggs, at room temperature
250 g sugar
70 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
175 g all purpose flour
60 g unsweetened cacao powder
10 g baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
150 g full fat milk
100 g whole milk yoghurt
Chocolate and Cream Cheese Frosting
500 g heavy cream
400 g dark chocolate (70 cacao)
180 g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 Tbsp icing sugar
1 Tbsp cognac (optional)
Chocolate Ganache Drip
100ml heavy cream
200g dark chocolate
Method
Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
CHOCOLATE CREAM In a pot, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat, pour it over the chocolate and stir well, so that the chocolate melts completely. Add a pinch of salt. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture, then let it cool completely. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 – 3 hours or overnight. You can prepare this cream up to three days before you need it.
MAKE THE CAKE Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 355 °F. In a bowl of a stand-mixer, with a paddle attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes or until fluffy and pale.
MIX THE DRY AND WET INGREDIENTS Melt the butter. In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, unsweetened cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt. In a small bowl mix together the milk and yogurt.
ADD THE INGREDIENTS Alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients. On low speed add one quarter of the dry ingredients until just combined, then add one quarter of the wet ingredients until just combined, then add a bit of melted (but cooled) butter. Repeat the process until all of the ingredients have been incorporated.
BAKE THE CAKE Line the base of a 16cm (6 inch) cake pan with baking paper and pour the batter in. Alternatively, divide the mixture evenly between two 6inch pans. Place in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes. Remove from oven, let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before removing it from cake pan and placing on a wire rack to cool.
MAKE THE CHOCOLATE AND CREAM CHEESE CREAM In a bowl of a stand-mixer, with a paddle attachment combine the prepared chocolate cream, cream cheese, icing sugar and cognac (optional). Tip: I prefer to pulse the cream cheese through the mixture until just combined.
ASSEMBLE AND SERVE If the cake is rounded on top, even it out with a knife. If you baked one cake, cut it into three even layers, using a sharp serrated knife. If like me you baked it in two pans, halve each cake to achieve four even layers. Put the first layer of the cake on a serving plate. Spread the chocolate-cream cheese frosting over it and place another layer of cake on top, repeat. If you are using a Raspberry Buttercream like I did, alternate with chocolate and raspberry frosting between each layer. Decorate the rest of the chocolate cake with the chocolate or Raspberry cream. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
MAKE CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIP Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl. In a pot, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat, pour it over the chocolate. Leave for 30 seconds and stir well with a metal spoon till smooth. Set aside to cool. The ganache should be slightly warmer than room temperature, but not so hot that it will melt your buttercream for the drip.
ACHIEVING THE DRIP When the ganache reaches your preferred consistency, put it into a squirt bottle or use a tea spoon to pour on cake. The type of cream and chocolate you use will affect consistency, so feel free to adjust as you see fit. Tip: If your ganache thickens too much as you work with it, place it in a bowl of hot water till it melts again.
Hero Products
Fresh As NZ - Freeze Dried Raspberry Powder
Original Artisan Gold - 5mm Silver Leaf Powder