If you believe that Autumn weekends call for decadent and indulgent chocolate cakes, then look no further: I have just got the right recipe for you. Today’s cake is gooey and chocolaty, without feeling heavy. Filled with an amazing mascarpone and Nutella cream and coated by a lush dark chocolate ganache, this cake will definitely be your weekend’s highlight!
Since we got together I have been in charge with baking my boyfriend’s birthday cake. Not that anyone specifically asked me - he would still be happy with a store-bought cake – but I love baking and I would use any excuse to do that. Whatever I bake though, he has just one request: it has to be a chocolate cake. If I thought I was a chocoholic, I had to change my perspective once I met him: he will literally eat a full box of Lindor by himself and feel alright afterwards. It’s disturbing and amazing at the same time.
So every year I make a different chocolate cake. I tried a Maltesers one which went down a treat, and even a chocolate traybake coated in a cacao and red wine glaze. This year, I decided to mix my boyfriend’s love for chocolate with his two other side-chicks: Nutella and Lindor and created this wonderful cake. Unfortunately, it did not come out as tall as I had wished, as my cake tin was probably a bit too large (9 inches). If you do want a taller cake, or three layers I suggest you use a smaller tin and bake the cake for 10 minutes longer. Or you could directly divide the mixture into two to three sandwich tins and bake them for about 18-20 mins. Experiment. Make your life easy. Just enjoy this amazing cake.
Before you start making this deliciousness, let me give you a word of warning: to make the cake you will have to consider three different components – the cake itself, the Nutella and mascarpone cream and the ganache on top. That’s why I suggest making it on the weekend, giving yourself amble time to let the cake cool down, cut it, make the mascarpone cream, let the ganache cool and let the whole cake set for about three hours.
Of course, if you like a challenge ignore what I have just written and go ahead on a mad one for four hours straight. And if you do please do tell us the tale!
You can enjoy this amazing cake on its own, or you can make it even more indulgent by adding some cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Believe me, this is the stuff of dreams!
Ingredients:
For the cake:
170 gr plain flour
160 gr granulated sugar
3 large eggs
80 gr unsalted butter
2 levelled tsp baking powder
35 gr cocoa powder
150 ml full-fat milk
For the Nutella and mascarpone filling:
250 gr mascarpone
4 tbsp Nutella
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp powder sugar
For the chocolate ganache:
250 gr dark chocolate
225 ml double cream
Optional (though highly recommended) toppings:
Lindor (or chocolate truffles)
Chocolate sprinkles
Instructions:
The first thing you want to do is take the eggs out of the fridge. When you use them you want them to be at room temperature. Take the butter and slowly melt it in a pot. Once it’s just melted remove from the heat and let it cool down (about 10 minutes will do).
Preheat the oven to 180°C. With an electric beater, beat the eggs and the sugar until they are nicely mixed. Add the milk and stir everything together. Sieve the flour and gradually add them to the mixture. Stir everything together with a spatula or a wooden spoon. Sieve the cocoa powder and the baking powder and add them to the mixture as well. Last goes the butter. Grease your tin with butter and transfer the mixture into it.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
At this point your kitchen is starting to smell amazing and I suggest you chill out and wash all the items you have used – after all, once it’s baked you still need to wait for the cake to cool down completely (so chill your beans).
Once the cake has cooled down cut it in two cakes. If you are unsure about how to do that you can bake the cake in two separate tins for about 20 minutes or you can use this technique: put the cake on a plate (or a cake stand if you have it) and turn it as you proceed to lightly cut the cake. Your knife does not need to go all the way in, only about an inch – in a way, you are basically scoring the cake, making sure that the two cakes look quite even before actually doing that. That way if you are making any mistakes, you are still in time to correct them. Once you are happy with the “plan”, follow the cuts you have made, but this time carefully go all the way in to obtain two separate cakes.
Now it’s time for the cream. With a spatula mix the Nutella, the mascarpone cheese, the cocoa powder and the powder sugar until everything is combined. Spread the mixture onto your base making sure you have a thick even layer. Pay particular attention to the edges. If they are nice and full, they will make the sides of the cake look much more even and professional. Place the second cake on top. Put the cake in the fridge and make a start to the ganache.
Break the chocolate into chunks. Pour the double cream into a small pot on a low heat and stir gently. Once the cream reaches a light boil take it off the heat and add your chocolate and mix everything with a spoon. Slowly but surely, the chocolate will start to melt and you will have a smooth cream. Leave to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once your ganache has thickened and cooled down, you can start spreading it onto your cake. You can help yourself with a spatula to make sure you coat the sides evenly.
You can now decorate your cake with whatever takes your fancy. I used Lindor and chocolate sprinkles but don’t let that stop you: go as crazy as you want with it.
Place the cake in the fridge and let it set for about 3 hours. The more, the better really.
I know it will be hard, but if you do have any leftovers, store them in the fridge for up to 4 days (lol, as if it would last that long!) and believe me, every single day this cake gets better and more chocolaty.
Enjoy!
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