Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 x 180g pouch of Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts
- 200g plain flour
- 60g cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 120g molasses
- 175g dark chocolate
- 100ml olive oil
- 200ml almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 2 x 200g pouches of Merchant Gourmet Chestnut Puree
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp stevia powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation
Begin by pre-heating the oven to 180C degrees
Using a large mixing bowl, pour in the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, salt and molasses – stir to combine the ingredients together
Separate the egg yolks and eggs whites and whisk the egg whites until they are nice and fluffy
Pour the egg yolks over the dry ingredients along with the 75g of the dark chocolate, olive oil, milk and vanilla extract; stir to mix the wet and dry ingredients together
Pour in the egg whites and gently fold (with a wooden spoon) the egg whites with the cake batter
Pour the cake batter in a greased round cake tin and place in the oven – bake for 35-40 minutes
Prepare the chocolate ganache by placing all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are well combined
Prepare the leftover dark chocolate for the chocolate-coated chestnuts by melting in a bowl over hot water. Once the chocolate has melted pour in the chestnuts making sure they are all covered in chocolate, remove and place the now coated chestnuts in a tray lined with grease proof paper
Now that the chocolate cake has finished baking, ice the top of the cake and sides using the chestnut and chocolate ganache, top the cake with the chocolate coated chestnuts
Slice and enjoy