14 baking heaven APRIL WWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM
Dizzy praline cake
SERVES 4
185g (6½oz) dark chocolate, broken
into pieces
6 large free-range eggs, separated
185g (6½oz) ground hazelnuts
115g (4oz) caster sugarTo fill and decorate
150g (5½oz) Hotel Chocolat
chocolate spread or a good
quality chocolate spread
100g (3½oz) dark chocolate,
broken into pieces
100ml (3½fl oz) whipping cream,
broken into pieces
50g (1¾oz) white chocolate1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas
Mark 4. Grease 2 x 18cm (7in)
round cake tins and line with
baking parchment.
2 To make the cake, melt the dark
chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of
simmering water, stirring
occasionally, for 2 minutes. Make
sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t
touch the hot water. Alternatively,
melt the chocolate in a microwave,
stirring every 10 seconds or so to
ensure the chocolate does not burn.
3 Using an electric mixer, beat the
egg whites until they form soft
peaks. Carefully fold the ground
hazelnuts into the egg whites. In a
separate bowl, beat the egg yolks
and sugar until thick and pale, then
mix in the melted chocolate. Add the
egg white mixture to the chocolate
mixture and fold gently to combine.
4 Divide the batter equally between
the prepared tins and bake in the
centre of the oven for 20 minutes, or
until the top is firm to the touch.
Allow the cakes to cool completely in
their tins before turning them out.
5 Sandwich the cakes together with
the chocolate spread. To make it a
showstopper, pipe on the spread for
a beaded edge and smooth it over
the middle.
6 Melt the dark chocolate for the
topping, as above, then quickly beat
in the cream using a whisk, until
smooth and glossy. Spread over the
top of the cake. Melt the white
chocolate in the same way as the
dark chocolate, making sure it isn’t
hotter than 30°C/86°F, then pipe a
swirl of the melted white chocolate
on the top of the cake. Leave to set
before serving.PERFECT PIPING
ENSURE YOU REMOVE ALL
AIR FROM THE PIPING BAG
BEFORE YOU BEGIN