mexican chocolate cake
Make no mistake - this chocolate cake is for grown ups only! I may look harmless enough, but an innocent chocolate exterior hides a batter laced with chilli and cinnamon. Cover in chocolate ganache and you've got my kind of cake. If you've never encountered the combination of chilli and chocolate before, you must try it. They do the most amazing chill hot chocolate at The Chocolate Boutique in Parnell - definitely worth the trip in from out West for me. At Christmas time I made some truffles, one flavour of which were chilli chocolate. They went down a treat with their recipients, so I started wondering what other chocolate treats could benefit from a warm chilli hit. Thus this cake was born. I took the trusty Edmonds chocolate cake recipe, and added chilli and cinnamon.
Mexican Chocolate Cake
175g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups standard grade flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne/chilli powder (adjust to your taste)
1 cup milk
Dark Chocolate Ganache (see recipe below)
1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon and chilli powder.
3. Alternating, fold dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture.
4. Pour into a lined 22cm round cake tin, and bake at 180C for approximately 50-55 minutes. Leave cake in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. When cool, spread with chocolate ganache.
Dark Chocolate Ganache
200g bittersweet dark chocolate
1/3 cup cream
1. Break the chocolate into small pieces, and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Pour the cream over top.
2. Microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds. Stir and heat again on High in 15-second intervals, stirring each time, until fully melted. Remove from microwave and leave to cool.
3. When the ganache has reached spreading consistency, spread over the Mexican Chocolate Cake.
Adapted from Edmonds Food for Flatters cookbook.
That's a cake for grown ups! I love chocolate, because it's so versatile, it's suitable for both sweet and salty foods! A wonderful mexican invention of course, and impressive how those mexican flavors can take your food to other level!
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