Chocolate And Pistachio Nut Cake ©

 

Medium Easy

Set Oven on, up/down, to 200.C.

After 15 mins turn down to 180.C. for 20 mins.

Ingredients

175g Best bitter/black belgium chocolate 70%

175g butter

1 espresso (1 tbs coffee, 2 tbs water)

4 eggs separated

175g sugar

2 tbs Finely ground almonds Opt.

4 Teaspoons (only) Self Raising Flour

A little extra butter for buttering cake tin

Ganache

75g Unsalted butter

175g Bitter/black chocolate 70%

150-200g icing sugar

1 tbs Maple Syrup or Golden Syrup

3tbs Espresso

100 ml cream

Finely grated orange Zest. (opt.)

Chopped unsalted Pistachio Nuts for decoration

G.p.Paper for lining Cake Tin

Spring Bottom Cake Tin 23Cm. in diameter.

Method

1. Turn oven on. It needs 10 minutes at least to reach 200.C.

2. Place oven rack 1/3 up from the bottom.

3. Butter your ‘spring bottom non stick cake tin’ 23cm in diameter. The size is important and line with Grease Proof Paper.

4. Prepare Bain Marie. Make sure glass bowl does not touch the water.

5. Put water onto boil, keeping bowl ready by the side, not on top of saucepan.

6. Make up espresso, or strong coffee, very concentrated.

7. Break up chocolate, place in bowl together with espresso. Once water has boiled, remove from heat and place bowl on top of Bain Marie and leave chocolate to melt slowly. Chocolate must not be over-heated! Once it has melted take off  bain marie and put to one side.

8. Separate eggs, being careful no egg yolk falls into the whites, or they will not become meringue. Make sure bowls are also grease free and spotless.

9. Beat yolks together with half the sugar until white and fluffy.

10. Add to melted chocolate and mix thoroughly.

11.Beat whites until stiff peaks and add rest of sugar. Beat until shiny.

12. If using ground almonds add to sieved flour. Fold into egg yolks and chocolate.

13. Fold in 2 tbs of the stiffly beaten egg whites and then the rest.

14. Pour into prepared cake tin, as much as you can all in one mass, so as not to lose air.

15. Place on center of shelf and shut oven door quickly, so as not to lose the heat.

16. Once cooking time is up, test with skewer through the center of the cake without taking it out of the oven. If ready it will come out clean, if not clean, leave for another five mins.

17. Don’t worry if the cake has cracks at the top and it may sink a little once you remove it from the oven. This cake is never a very high cake, usually it is about 4 cm in height, because it is almost a flour -less cake.

18. Release spring sided tin and turn out onto cooling rack. Remove G.P.P. and allow to cool “completely” before covering with the “Ganache.” Arrange Cake in center of serving dish.

19. Using a large spatula, spread over Ganache, including the sides.

Chop Pistachio nuts and sprinkle down sides, using a teaspoon, helping any excess up the sides with a knife.

Ganache

1. Melt chocolate in the same way as above, over the Bain Marie together with the espresso. Add to creamed butter and the rest of the ingredients, Orange Zest Opt. and leave to come  completely to room temperature, 1 hour. It should by then be thick and stiff enough to spread over cake.

I did not add almonds, nor Orange Zest, it is a matter of personal taste.

This recipe I dedicate to my dear friend Alexandra, who made it for us this summer and who is an excellent Cook and always an inspiration to me! Thank You! 🙂

Choose good quality dark chocolate 70% or more.

Break the chocolate up into pieces and melt over saucepan of hot water, having removed it off the stove.

Get all your ingredients ready.

Line base of ‘Spring based cake tin’ with grease proof paper.

Once chocolate has melted remove from saucepan of hot water and keep to one side.

Beat egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy.

The mixture starts off this colour and as the air is beaten in and the sugar dissolves it gets lighter.

Once it looks like this, you can move onto the next stage. Work quickly so as not to lose the air !

Fold chocolate into egg yolks.

This is how the cake will look once cooked. Don’t worry about the cracks, this is usual in a nearly flour-less

cake.

Turn over, by putting wrack on top of cake and flip over. Remove paper carefully.

.

Leave Ganache to become stiff.

Using a Pallet Knife spread on Ganache.

Add chopped Pistachio to the sides of the cake.

Final Result!