Mocha layer cake
If you've after an all-stops-out, can't-resist chocolate cake, this mocha layer cake fits the bill admirably.
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
Cake
- 125g dark chocolate
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup strong espresso coffee
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 250g unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 orange, finely grated zest
- 2 1/2 cups plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Icing:
- 200g butter, softened
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons milk, heated
- 2 tablespoons hot espresso coffee
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Method:
Cake
- Heat oven to 180°C. Line two 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.
- Break chocolate into pieces and place in a small bowl. Pour over boiling water and coffee and stir until smooth. Add baking soda. Leave to cool.
- Beat butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in egg yolks.
- Mix in vanilla, orange zest and cooled chocolate.
- Sift flour and baking powder together and fold into chocolate mixture.
- Beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into mixture. Pour into tins and bake 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool slightly before turning out onto racks to cool completely.
Icing
- Whiz butter, icing sugar and cocoa in a food processor for a few seconds.
- Add hot milk and espresso and process until combined.
- Measure out 1/2 cup icing and combine with sour cream, mixing well.
To assemble
- Cut each cake into two layers. Place a layer on a serving plate and spread with a third of the sour cream mixture. Top with another layer of cake and sour cream mixture and repeat until all layers are sandwiched together.
- Cover cake completely with icing.
Chocolate Curls:
Chocolate curls make a cake look truly professional and are quick and easy to make once you get the knack. Dark, milk or white chocolate can be used.
- Pour melted chocolate onto a marble slab (or other cool, smooth even surface).
- Using a metal spatula, spread the chocolate to 2-3mm thickness and leave until set but not completely hard. Using a clean scraper held at about a 45-degree angle, push under the chocolate in a continuous motion away from you to form curls. (If the chocolate isn't firm enough it won't curl; if it's too firm, it will break into shards.) Curls can be used immediately or placed in a plastic container with a lid and stored in the refrigerator until needed.
Are you a fan of chocolate cake? What’s your favourite cake?
Written by Bernadette Hogg. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz. Image credit: Manja Wachsmuth / Stuff.co.nz.
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