Friend and fellow Gourmet Girl Tracy Foulkes produces NoMU cocoa. We modified the chocolate cake recipe that appears on the NoMU tin and created these chilli and lemongrass chocolate cakes with oriental ganache.
Chilli and lemongrass chocolate cakes with oriental ganache
Ingredients
CAKE
- 45ml cocoa powder
- 180g castor sugar
- 80g unsalted butter
- 60ml water
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 200g cake flour
- 15ml baking powder
- 2 vanilla pods or 5ml vanilla extract
- 2 – 3 red chillies, seeded and chopped
- 2 stalks lemongrass, first layer removed, and finely chopped
GANACHE
- 2cm fresh ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 stalk lemongrass, pounded to release its aromas
- 250ml pouring cream
- 200g 70 percent dark chocolate
- 15ml butter, chilled
- fresh berries, to serve
- white chocolate, to serve
- vanilla bean vodka shots, to serve
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm x 20cm cake tin.
Heat the cocoa, 30ml castor sugar, butter and water in a saucepan and stir until melted. Cool.
Lightly beat the eggs, add the remaining sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Sieve the flour and baking powder and incorporate into the egg mixture. Carefully fold in the cocoa mixture, vanilla, chilli and lemongrass.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake until cooked, about 30 minutes. Cool in the tin.
To make the ganache, heat the ginger, lemongrass and cream in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and let the flavours infuse. Strain when cool.
Gently heat the infused cream in a saucepan and melt the chocolate. Whisk in the butter.
Cut the cake into rounds using an 8cm cutter. Spoon a coat of ganache over each individual cake, refrigerate and apply a second coat. Top with fresh berries and serve with white chocolate and vanilla bean vodka shots.
