Wednesday, 25 March 2009

Verdict: An Elizabeth David chocolate cake

I can see why this particular chocolate cake has passed into the realm of legends. It was absolutely fantastic; moist, soft, light and chocolatey. The texture is wonderful - a real melt in your mouth cake. Sweetness is nicely balanced and the almond just sits there in the background and really complements the chocolate. A really fabulous easy cake recipe that will quickly become a personal favourite I think!
Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. Phoenix26 March 2009 at 14:32

    Was it better than the Hugh F-W chocolate chestnut cake I made though?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brian27 March 2009 at 17:58

    I don't remember the chocolate chestnut cake that well, so I can't be certain. I think it was pretty similar though - certainly texture will have been give or take the same. You might have to make the chocolate chestnut cake again so I can find out! Or send me the recipe so I can bake it and compare the two...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Phoenix29 March 2009 at 11:01

    The recipe is from when he kicked Gordon Ramsay's butt on the F-word recipe challenge (I can't actually remember who won, but I know he deserved to win).

    If they're similar, I prefer the E.D classic as I think ground almonds are much easier and faster to source than the chestnuts, and mashing the chestnuts was the biggest hassle bit.

    As you know, I've been meaning to make the E.D classic for a while now, so you've saved me the hassle, so thanks for the feedback. I thought the H. F-W cake was wonderful, and one of the nicest cakes I've made/eaten (especially after it had set cold, but I bet there's a lot of people who'd like the hot texture).

    Chocolate and chestnut truffle cake.

    Ingredients
    * 250g dark chocolate, in chunks
    * 250g unsalted butter, cubed
    * 250g peeled, cooked chestnuts (tinned or vac-packed ones, if you like)
    * 250ml whole milk
    * 4 eggs, separated
    * 125g caster sugar

    Method: How to make chestnut and chocolate truffle cake

    1. Preheat the oven to 170°c/Gas Mark 3 and grease and line a 23cm-diameter springform cake tin.

    2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a pan over a very gentle heat. In another pan, heat the chestnuts with the milk until just boiling, then mash thoroughly with a potato masher (or process to a rough purée in a machine).

    3. Put the egg yolks in a bowl and mix with the caster sugar. Stir in the chocolate mixture and the chestnut purée until you have a smooth, blended batter. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them carefully into the batter.
    chestnut and truffle cake

    4. Transfer the mixture to the greased, lined tin and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the cake is just set but still has a slight wobble.

    5. If you want to serve the cake warm, leave to cool a little, then release the tin and slice carefully – it will be very soft and moussey. Or leave to go cold, when it will have set firm. Its good to serve it with a trickle of double cream, especially when warm, but it is also delicious unadulterated

    http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/chestnut_and_chocolate_truffle_cake_p_1.html

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)