Spicy Chocolate Cake with Nuts and dried Cranberries

Adapted from For Me Magazine 2/2010

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 125 grams of bittersweet dark chocolate
• 1 tsp grated organic orange peel
• 4 eggs separated
• 135 grams of sugar divided into 35g and 100 g
• 125 soft butter or high-quality baking margarine
• 2 TBSP of maple syrup
• 100 grams whole hazelnuts
• 50 grams dried cranberries
• 60 grams salted macadamia nuts
• 20 grams chopped pistachios
• 1-2 pinches chili flakes
• 1 pinch of finely ground espresso powder (optional)
• 1 pinch of salt
• optional for decoration: powdered sugar, sprinkles, chopped pistachios or cranberries

Putting it all together:

- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.

- Grease a rectangular (or round) cake pan. Cut a piece of baking paper to cover the
bottom and overlap up the long sides and over the edge – this is to help you remove the
cake later. Place the paper in the greased pan so that it overlaps along the long sides. If
using a round pan, simply cover the bottom with baking paper.

- Chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl that fits over a pot to create a water-bath or
double-boiler (some may use a microwave, I refuse to own such an object). Add the
orange peel, the chili flakes and the espresso powder if using to the bowl.

-  Melt the chocolate over medium heat stirring frequently and taking care not to
overheat the chocolate. Once melted remove the pot from the heat and let the chocolate
rest until needed.

- Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 8 minutes until warm and
fragrant but not burned. Remove from the oven and pour them onto a damp dish
towel, fold the towel over the nuts to cover and rub them through the towel vigorously
to remove the skins. Let rest and do it again, some skins will remain on some of the
hazelnuts – that’s OK. Place the nuts in a grinder or kitchen machine and pulse until
medium-fine.

- Beat the egg whites in a bowl with a pinch of salt until stiff. Add the 35 grams of sugar
and continue beating until white and shiny.

- In another bowl, cream the butter or margarine with the 100 grams of sugar. Add the
egg yolks, maple syrup and the melted chocolate.

- On a board, roughly chop the dried cranberries and macadamia nuts.

- Add the ground hazelnuts, the chopped macadamia nuts and cranberries, and the
pistachios as well as the egg whites in several portions, do not beat but use a spatula to
lightly combine without over mixing.

- Pour the batter into the pan – even it out with the spatula and bake for 30 minutes at
180 degrees Celsius /350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then cover with foil and bake another 15
minutes at 150 degrees Celsius / 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Test doneness with a
toothpick. It should come out clean.

- Remove from the oven and uncover to cool.

- If you do not want to frost it, , run a knife around the edges when it is cooled and use
the baking paper to remove the cake to a serving platter. You can leave as is or sprinkle
with powdered sugar or sprinkles.

- Serve in pieces (if using round pan) or cubes like petit fours.

I have frosted this twice – so far without much success look-wise. It is more a glaze than a frosting – it tastes great with or without.

White chocolate glaze:

Ingredients:

• 100 grams of white chocolate chopped
• 2-3 drops of orange flavoring
• 80 milliliters of cream (6 TBSP)
• Seeds of a ½ vanilla bean
• 40 grams of butter cut into pieces

Putting it all together:

- Melt the chocolate with the cream, the orange flavor and the vanilla seeds in a hot
water-bath over low heat stirring almost continuously so that the cream and milk don’t
separate but become creamy.

- As soon as it is melted and blended, remove from the heat and let cool 3-5 minutes.

- Add the butter piece-by-piece stirring to combine as you go along.

- Pour the glaze over the cake and let it set in a cool place for several hours.

- Run a knife around the cake and remove it from the pan with the help of the baking
paper. Remove the paper and serve in pieces, slices or cut into petits fours. Add
sprinkles, chopped pistachios or cranberries to decorate if desired.

Enjoy…. yummmmmm!!