Chocolate Cake with amaretto infused 

chocolate Ganache topped with 

coffee buttercream, honeycomb sand and coffee 

bean brittle

OKAY! SO HERE GOES! 

Be prepared this is a long recipe with various components to complete before you even start to think about decorating this cake!


For the Double Chocolate Cake
I used this recipe to make 2 x 6 inch cakes. Use one for this recipe, and you can freeze the other for use later (or whizz through blender for some cake pops!) This recipe freezes very well. 

Ingredients
215 grams of plain flour
130 grams of cocoa powder
425 grams of caster sugar
1 ½ tsp. of baking soda
½ tsp. of baking powder
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ tsp. of salt
60 grams of chocolate (70% cocoa)
1 cup of water – boiled
1 cup of buttermilk

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
• Butter and line 2 x 6 inch round pans.
• Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder into a bowl.
• Chop chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl, pouring the boiling water over the top whilst whisking. Then, set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Whisk buttermilk and vanilla essence in another bowl.
• Whisk eggs in a stand mixer bowl with the whisk attachment for approx. 2 minutes on a high speed.
• Pour vegetable oil into the eggs very slowly on a slow speed. Then whisk for a further minute on a medium speed.
• Using your cooled chocolate mixture, pour into the egg and oil mixture whilst the mixer is running on a low speed.
• Pour the buttermilk and vanilla into the mixture slowly, then add caster sugar whisking until smooth.
• Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, as you will now add the dry ingredients, mixing by hand until it is just incorporated. The mix will look lumpy.
• Pour the mixture into a sieve, removing any lumps in the mixture.
• Pour mixture evenly into the prepared pans. (I usually weigh them to ensure that the cakes cook evenly and to the same height)
• Bake for 45 mins or until when tested with a skewer, it comes out clean.
• When cooked transfer pans to wire rack to cool for approx. 20 mins (so that it sets) and then remove from pans to cool completely.


For the Chocolate Ganache
I use this recipe to cover and fill my cake, flavouring it with whatever essence I please. As well as using amaretto syrup within the cake, I also used a little almond essence to flavour the chocolate.

280 grams of 70% chocolate
70 grams of pure icing sugar (sifted)
195 mls of pure cream (do not use thickened cream)
2 egg whisked yolks
3 tbls of softened butter

• Place chopped chocolate and icing sugar in a heatproof bowl
• Place cream in a pan over a medium heat and bring to simmer.
• Pour cream over the chocolate, placing it over a bain-marie to melt the chocolate and sugar completely.
• Add half the chocolate to the whisked egg yolks to temper the yolks, and then pour back into the other half of the melted chocolate.
• Add butter and a few drops of almond essence stirring until it is incorporated.
• Place the mixture in a sieve, pushing ganache through it into another bowl.
• Let cool to a peanut butter consistency to use in this recipe. You may have some left over, so it can be refrigerated for around 2 weeks.

For Coffee buttercream
I usually use Swiss buttercream, as I love the consistency, but for this I have chosen standard American buttercream as it was quick and I am only using it for a little decoration on top of the cake.

150 grams of softened unsalted butter
1 tbsp. of full cream milk (at room temperature)
2 tsp. of instant espresso powder dissolved in hot water
350 grams of pure icing sugar (sifted of course!)

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter for approx. 10 mins on a high speed until it is creamy and white
• Place half the icing sugar into the bowl (cover the bowl with a tea towel so that the icing mixture is confined into the bowl)
• Add the milk and the cooled coffee mixture
• Then slowly add the rest of the icing sugar until the correct consistency is achieved for piping. (You may not need all of it, or may even need a little more)
• Beat until smooth






For Coffee Amaretto syrup
I use this to brush the cake layers.

1 x batch of espresso coffee
100 mls of amaretto liqueur
2 tbsp. caster sugar

• Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to simmer so that the sugar is dissolved.
• Set aside to cool

For Coffee bean brittle

220 grams of caster sugar
125 mls water
2 tbsp. of smashed coffee beans


• Line a baking tray with baking paper and spray with cooking spray.
• Place sugar and water in a saucepan over a high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and bring to the boil. Ensure that you brush the sides of the saucepan so that sugar dissolves and does not cause the toffee to crystallise.
• Boil until the mixture turns a light amber colour, then add the smashed coffee beans
• Continue to boil until it turns to deep golden brown, then take off heat immediately and pour into the lined pan spreading it until it is thin.
• Do not touch the bottom of the pan or brittle. It is Hot!!!
• Let cool and break into shards to decorate.
• You can store excess in an airtight container in the fridge


For the honeycomb sand

90 grms of golden syrup
220 grms caster sugar
2 tsp. of sifted bi carb.
60 mls water

• Line a tray with baking paper, spray with cooking spray
• Place syrup, sugar and 60 mls of water in a large saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved then stop stirring
• Continue to cook without stirring until it reaches 154 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat and add bicarb unto it is just combined. It will foam up.
• Pour into prepared tray
• Let cool completely
• Once cooled, place a few pieces of the honeycomb into a food processor and whizz until it resembles sand.
• Place aside.
• You will only use ½ cup of this mixture, the rest can be store for up to 2 weeks in the fridge

All the components of this wonderful cake are completed, now you just need to assemble it!

To assemble the cake

Levelling the cake
• Remove the dome on top of the chocolate cake, with a serrated knife (cake must be cooled) then, divide the cake into 3 even layers.
• Using the cooled ganache, place a small dab on a 6-inch cake board so that the base of the cake sticks to it.
• Brush the first layer with coffee amaretto syrup
• Add an even layer of ganache, then repeat with syrup and ganache on the further two layers.
• Place in the freezer or if you have time, the fridge until the cake is firm.
• Remove from freezer or fridge, and you are now ready to ganache your cake. This bit takes some practice!
• With a small palette knife, start by placing ganache on the top of the cake (using a revolving cake stand would help A LOT) and spread until smooth
• Using the palette knife, then ganache the sides until smooth.
• Use a bench scraper to get the top and sides even. Once you are happy with the ganached cake, place in the fridge for about 10 minutes or until the ganache has hardened.
• Using the palette knife again, hot knife the ganache so that the sides and top are smooth.
• There! You have finished the cake, now for the finishing touches.

Decorating the cake
• Take the coffee buttercream and pipe with the Wilton 125 tip, ruffles around the top of the cake leaving space to place the sand (or you can be a little creative here and choose your own piping style)
• Place the honeycomb sand in the central area
• Then finally place the brittle randomly at the top to the cake.

This cake is best served at room temperature to really enjoy its rich flavour!
ENJOY!!

The Afternoon Baker