Now that the monsoon has set in, the kitchen is a friendlier place to get into and bake! Hats off to the chefs who slog by the heat every single day and turn out delicacies by the dozens. I stuck to the basics all through summer! Yup it tells on the blog too…I mean who wants to sweat it out in the gym and kitchen too!
So the back to the blog recipe is a Chocolate Martini Cake dressed with ganache, hazelnut cream and almonds…I went out all the way, it was my best friend Sreeja’s birthday!
When I did look up the blog, I realised I had 7 different chocolate cake recipes on my blog…but for chocolate that’s not enough. I love experimenting with chocolates. I’m next trying out a sugar-free Barley flour cake with orange, sugar-free chocolate and almonds…:) will let you know how that goes!
But coming back to the recipe. Here’s what you need:
Time taken: 1.5 hour
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Skill level: Basic
Serves: 8 adults
Equipment needed: Oven, 8×6 inch Cake tin, Beater
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon unsweetened Hershey’s cocoa
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and levelled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups powdered brown sugar (I’ve used sugar substitute)
- 2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 200 grams bittersweet chocolate, melted
- 100 grams cream
- 100 ml Vodka
- ½ cup Nutella
- ½ cup almonds, crushed
- 1 packet Cadbury Nutties
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degree C. Butter 1 8-inch round cake pan and dust it with flour. Tap of the excess. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl cream the butter till it changes colour. Add the powdered sugar and cream further.
3. Separate the eggs. Beat the whites till absolutely fluffy. Beat the yellows with vanilla, then add the buttermilk, mix and set aside.
4. Add the yellow and buttermilk mix to the butter and sugar mix and mix again.
5. Now sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and chocolate powder together and mix it into the buttermilk, sugar and egg mix without over beating it.
6. With the help of a wooden spoon add the egg white slowly. Using the ‘4’ shape movement to mix the egg white fluff into the chocolate mix. Do this really carefully as you need to make sure you don’t lose air from the egg whites.
7. Pour the batter into the floured baking tin and bake at 180 degree centigrade for 35 to 40 minutes. Check if the cake is ready by inserting a toothpick or skewer right at the centre of the cake at about 30 minutes. If it comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. If not give it a few more minutes depending on the stage the cake is at. (It’s very essential to not open the oven door for the first 25 minutes of baking this cake)
8. Cool the cake and slit it horizontally into 3 slices.
9. To make the chocolate ganache, heat the cream and pour it over the chocolate pieces. Mix it well till the chocolate melts and is glossy.
9. Bring the Nutella to room temperature.
10. Divide the vodka into 3 parts to drizzle it over the 3 sections of the cake.
11. Place the bottom layer of the cake on a serving dish. Pour 1/3 of the vodka all over it. Once the vodka is absorbed, place 1 part of the chocolate ganache over it and spread it all across. Top it with 1/3 the crushed almonds.
12. Top this layer with the second layer of the cake. Pour 1/3 of the vodka all over it. Once the vodka is absorbed add the Nutella over it and spread it all across.
13 Place the topmost cake layer over this now. Use a toothpick to make holes on it and then pour the vodka all over it. Now pour the left over chocolate ganache all over and spread it on the sides too.
14. Sprinkle a teaspoon of Hershey’s cocoa all over the cake.
15. Place the Cadbury’s Nutties in one corner and scatter the crushed almond all over the cake.
Your Chocolate Martini Cake it ready to be devoured!
