Chocolate Cake with Coffee and Cardamom Icing

Ingredients

• Chocolate Cake
  

   

  • 1 ½ cups Milk
  • 2 tsp white Vinegar
  • ½ cup hot Water
  • 1 tsp instant Coffee
  • 1 ½ cups Flour
  • 1 ½ cups Caster sugar
  • ½ cup unsweetened Cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ tsp Baking soda
  • 1 ¼ tsp Baking powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ½ cup Vegetable oil
  • 2 Eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure Vanilla extract
• Frosting
  

   

  • 1cup+ 1 tbsp dark Chocolate, chopped
  • 3/4 cup fresh Cream
  • 1tsp instant Coffee powder
  • Seeds from 2 Cardamom pods,lightly crushed
  • 2 tbsp Butter
• Assembly
  

   

  • 2 Chocolate sponge cake
  • Whipped ganache
  • Almonds/Walnuts, toasted

Method

• Chocolate Cake
  

   

  • Pre-heat the Morphy Richards OTG to 180° Celsius on the Toast with Convection setting.
  • Grease 2 6’’cake pans. Then use a sieve to lightly dust the insides with cocoa powder. Lightly tap the pan to remove extra cocoa powder.
  • Combine the milk and vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes.
  • Combine the hot water and instant coffee in a mug. Set aside.
  • In a bowl,sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  • In another bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, vanilla with the coffee decoction and milk+vinegar till properly incorporated.
  • Add half the dry ingredient into the wet ingredients and beat with a whisk or electric beater for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat till just combined and all lumps have broken down. Be careful not to over mix.
  • Divide and pour the batter into the two prepared pans.
  • Bake in the oven for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and cover with a clean damp cloth and set aside to cool.
  • Turn the cake pans upside down on a plate to demold the cakes carefully.
  • Cover with cling wrap and put in the fridge overnight or for 2 hours atleast.
• Frosting
  

   

  • Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the Morphy Richards Microwave Oven for 1 minute, stirring at 20 second intervals to avoid burning till it is melted and smooth.
  • In a saucepan, heat the cream gently along with the crushed cardamom seedsand instant coffee powder. Be careful not to boil it.
  • Slowly pour in the warm cream through a sieve in the bowl of the melted chocolate and gently stir with whisk till the mixture is homogenous.
  • Add the softened butter to the ganache and mix till incorporated.
  • Allow the ganache to cool and then cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge.
  • In about 1 hour remove from the fridge and beat with an electric beater on slow speed at first and then at medium speed till the mix looks lighter and fluffier with a mousse like texture( approx 5-6 mins)
  • Set in the fridge to cool. (5-7 mins)
• Assembly
  

   

  • Remove your chilled cake from the freezer and place one layer on a pretty plate or a cake stand.
  • Spoon half the frosting on the cake and using a small spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the frosting evenly on the cake.
  • Sandwich with the other cake layer and apply frosting on top as well.
  • Serve as is or with toasted sliced Almonds

Notes/Tips:

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