Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line two 22cm cake tins with baking paper. (If you want a cake with three layers, double the batter and divide between three baking tins.) Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until soft and creamy, scraping the mixture down once or twice during the mixing. Add the eggs one at a time with the mixer running and then add the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder to a bowl and mix through. Add two spoonfuls of the dry ingredients and follow it up with a splash of milk, while the mixer runs on slow speed. Keep going until all is incorporated. Divide the batter between the baking tins and bake for one hour. Remove and allow the cakes to cool in the tins before removing and cooling on a wire rack. Frost as desired.
Add the 160g chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt completely. Take off the heat and stir in the milk. Add the coconut, chocolate cake, icing sugar, pecan and rosemary and stir through. Allow the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes. Scoop 15ml portions into your hands and roll into balls. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until set. Scewer each truffle with a rosemary sprig. Add the remaining 160g chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir every now and then to melt. Dip the truffles into the melted chocolate and place them back onto the lined tray. Stand the truffles at room temperature until the chocolate has set before serving.
145g butter 250g sugar 80g cocoa powder, sifted 1,2ml salt 7,5ml vanilla 2 eggs 65g flour 75g pecan nuts, roughly chopped 2 x 80g slabs of chocolate
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Add the butter, sugar, cocoa powder and salt to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the mixture every now and then until the butter has melted and the mixture is amalgamated. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the vanilla. Stir through. Add the eggs one-by-one and beat to incorporate, with a wooden spoon. Add the flour and beat again to incorporate. Add the pecan nuts and stir through. Spoon half the batter in to the prepared baking tin and spread it out evenly. Place the chocolate slabs, side-to-side, on the batter and cover with the rest of the brownie batter. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the brownies from the oven and cool completely. Slice into 16 squares.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with cooking spray. Add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking powder to a mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk. Add the egg, melted butter, milk and vanilla to a jug and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients. Add the chopped chocolate and nuts and stir to mix. Spoon the batter in to the prepared baking tin. Add the 80ml granulated and brown sugar and the cocoa powder, to a bowl and mix. Sprinkle the mixture over the cake batter. Pour the coffee over and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve the chocolate pudding cake with cream or ice cream.
Preheat your oven to 200℃. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for 10 minutes. Give the pan a shake halfway through baking time. Spread the warm nuts between two tea towels and rub them so that the skins come off. Turn your oven temperature down to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper. Add 200g of the cooled hazelnuts to a food processor and blitz until fine – a similar texture to that of breadcrumbs. Add the butter and chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Remove from the heat and stir in the ground hazelnuts. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat for 4 minutes with an electric whisk. Add it to the hazelnut mixture and stir by hand until well combined. Pour in the orange juice and stir through. Add the egg whites to a clean bowl and whisk to stiff peaks. Spoon a third of the whites into the hazelnut mixture and stir through to loosen. Now add the remaining whites and gently fold through. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the cake and leave to cool in the baking tin for 30 minutes. Unclip the outside ring and invert the cake on a serving plate. Pull off the baking paper and leave the cake to cool completely. Melt about 80g of hazelnut chocolate, pour on the cake and sprinkle over the remaining hazelnuts.
It has been said that a Viennese Sachertorte is a cake worth fighting over….! Hopefully without the fighting, you will bake this labour of love and indulge in the best chocolate cake in the world! Traditionally the cake is served with Chantilly cream on the side so that every bite may be dipped into the cream before eating. If you want a higher cake like the one in my photographs, bake the cake twice – the apricot and chocolate glaze is sufficient to cover a higher/larger cake.
Chocolate glaze: 220g sugar 125ml water 200g dark chocolate, chopped
Place an oven rack in the centre of your oven and preheat to 180℃. Lightly butter 22cm springform tin with butter and line the bottom with a round of baking paper. Dust the sides of the tin with flour and tap out the excess. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Remove from the heat. Stir the chocolate often until tepid but still fluid. Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Turn the mixer to low speed and beat in the icing sugar. Set the mixer back on medium-high and beat until light in colour and texture. (about 2 minutes) Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Now beat in the chocolate and vanilla with the machine running. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to a mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer on high speed just until they form soft, shiny peaks. Do not overbeat. Stir about a fourth of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Now fold in the remaining whites, leaving a few visible whisps of whites. Sift half the flour over and fold in with a spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake tin and spread it evenly. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the tin and invert the cake onto the wire rack. Remove the baking paper. Re-invert the cake on another rack to turn it right side up and leave to cool completely.
For the apricot glaze: Melt the jam in a saucepan over medium heat, add the rum and pass through a sieve. Set aside to cool slightly.
Trim the top of the cake to make it level. (Optional) Cut the cake horizontally into 2 equal layers. Brush the top of one cake layer with a third of the apricot glaze. Place the second layer on top and brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining glaze. Allow to cool until the glaze is set/less sticky. Half an hour in the refrigerator should be sufficient.
For the chocolate glaze: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the chocolate, remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate has melted and you are left with a smooth, glossy glaze.|Set aside to cool and thicken slightly.
Transfer the cake to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the slightly warm chocolate glaze over the cake. Take care to cover the entire cake and the sides. Allow to cool and set completely – 2 hours minimum. Trim away any hardened glaze on the bottom of the cake and transfer it to a serving plate. Serve each slice of sachertorte with a generous dollop of cream so that each bite may be dipped in the cream before eating.
For the base: Place the biscuits in a food processor and process to a fine crumb. Spoon the biscuit crumbs into a mixing bowl and add the sugar and melted butter. Mix together until it resembles wet sand. Spoon the mixture into a 23cm loose-bottom cake tin and press evenly over the base. Place in the refrigerator.
For the mousse-cheesecake: Preheat your oven to 150℃. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt until completely smooth. Add the cream cheese, chocolate, cocoa powder and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until incorporated. Add the vanilla and eggs and whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Set aside. Add the cream to another mixing bowl and sift the icing sugar into the bowl. Whisk until the cream develops a mousse-y texture and soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture – do this in 3-4 batches. Fold until just incorporated. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the cake tin with the biscuit base. Smooth the top and give the cake tin a jiggle to let out any air bubbles. Place the cake tin soon top of a sheet of aluminium foil and fold the foil up the sides on the outside of the tin. Place the cake tin into a roasting pan and fill the pan with 2,5cm of hot water. Bake the cake for 70 minutes. Check and refill the water in the roasting tin every 20 or so during baking. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and immediately run a sharp knife around the outside of the cake to release it from the tin. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely before removing the tin ring.
For the ganache: Add the cream to a small saucepan and warm it. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Set the cheesecake on a wire cooling rack, inside a baking sheet and pour the ganache over the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
220g best quality dark chocolate (I use De Villiers Chocolate), chopped 125g butter, cubed 5 eggs, separated 190ml sugar 10ml vanilla 2,5ml salt 30ml cocoa powder
Preheat your oven to 170℃ and spray a 22cm loose bottom cake pan with cooking spray. Dust the pan with cocoa powder ensuring the bottom and sides of the pan has an even coating of cocoa powder. Set aside. Add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir every now and then until the chocolate has melted completely and the mixture has amalgamated. Take the bowl from the heat and set aside to cool. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the whites on medium until it reaches soft peak stage. Increase the mixers speed and add the sugar a spoonful at a time. Beat until medium stiff peaks and set aside. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, to the chocolate mixture and beat well with a spatula after each addition. Add the vanilla, salt and cocoa powder and mix together. Now fold in the egg whites by adding a third of the mixture at a time. Mix/fold until no white streaks are visible. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it around evenly. Bake for 50 minutes. The edges of the cake will pull away from the sides of the pan once it is done. Cool the cake in the pan before unmoulding it. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Line a 22cm x 11cm loaf tin with plastic wrap, leaving enough plastic to make an overhang (so that you can fold it on top of the mousse later on). Tip: wet the loaf tin before lining it – the water will help the plastic “stick” to the the tin. Add the white chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt. Remove from the heat, give it a good stir and set it aside for about 5 minutes to cool. Add 15ml of the boiling water to a small cup and sprinkle 2,5ml of the gelatine over. Stir the mixture continuously until the gelatine has dissolved completely – about 2 minutes of constant stirring. Add the gelatine and one egg yolk to the melted chocolate and stir to combine. Add 125ml cream to a mixing bowl and beat with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Add the cream to the chocolate mixture and stir through until combined. Add one egg white to a clean mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until soft peaks form Fold the egg white into the chocolate mixture with a spatula. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the white chocolate layer is set.
Repeat the process with the milk chocolate and half of the remaining ingredients. Pour over the white chocolate mousse and place back in the refrigerator for another hour or until set.
Repeat with the dark chocolate and the remaining ingredients. Pour over the milk chocolate layer and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours.
Serve the mousse with a chocolate sauce or plenty of berries.
This is a glorious, genuine dark chocolate cake with an intense chocolate and red wine glaze. I use a Pinot Noir red wine as the berry notes mix perfectly with the dark chocolate aromas.
220g DeVilliersChocolate Intense or other dark chocolate, chopped 250ml sugar 200g butter, cubed 4 eggs 3,7ml salt 83ml flour
Glaze: 220g DeVilliersChocolate Intense or other dark chocolate, chopped 62ml butter, cubed 2,5ml salt 125ml icing sugar 125ml pinot noir or any other red wine
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease and flour a loose-bottom cake tin of 22cm in diameter. Add the chocolate, sugar and butter to a heatproof bowl and set it oven a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the mixture for 3 minutes or until melted and remove from the heat. Keep on stirring until the chocolate is completely smooth. Scrape the chocolate mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
Set the mixer onto medium speed and add the eggs, one at a time. Turn the mixer onto its highest speed. Keep beating on high speed until the mixture has a very thick, mousse-like consistency. Turn the mixer down to a low speed and add the salt and flour. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 60 minutes. It is important to test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cake’s centre and checking that it comes out clean. If the toothpick/cake tester is sticky, bake the cake for a few minutes longer and test again. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Cool the cake in the tin.
For the glaze: Add the chopped chocolate, butter and salt to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water. Stir for 3 – 5 minutes until melted. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Sift the icing sugar directly into the melted chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Add the red wine to a small saucepan and place on the heat to warm the wine. Remove the wine from the heat as soon as small bubbles start appearing at the edges of the pan. Drizzle the wine into the chocolate mixture while whisking continuously until all the wine is incorporated. Set the glaze apart for about 10 minutes so that it can thicken. Place the cold cake onto a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet and pour the glaze evenly over the cake. Allow the glaze to set – about 2 hours.
My Whisk and I 