Last year around this time I was busy for many days thinking, evaluating and planning about a recipe in my head. It was nothing different but a cake. The difference was in the level of challenge. I wanted to raise the bar for myself not just because I wanted to challenge myself but to present a cake like never before. The cake had to be super special as it was a surprise for my dear husband on his birthday. So I decided to do a moist double layer cake with hazel nut praline filled between the layers and chocolate ganache icing on top (Don’t worry it might sound lot of things but it’s not that complicated), and off course in heart shape ;).
Sponge Cake:
1¼ cups (185g) plain flour
6 eggs
¾ cup (165g) caster/superfine sugar
60g butter, melted
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
Grease 2 medium size heart shape cake tin (Chose the shape as you like) and line the bases with butter paper or spread very small amount of flour and spread as thin layer covering the sides completely.
Sift the flour 3 times. Set aside.
Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 8–10 minutes or until thick and pale and tripled in volume.
Sift the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold through. Use a metal spoon to fold the flour through the egg mixture with a gentle cutting, lifting and folding action.
Fold through the butter. Pour lf the mixture into each tin and bake for 25 minutes or until the cakes are springy to touch and come away from the sides of the tin. Cool on wire racks.
Ganache Recipe:
200 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (20 grams) unsalted butter
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized heatproof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. (Can also heat the cream and butter in the microwave.) Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand, without stirring, for a few minutes. Stir gently (as you do not want to incorporate air into the ganache) with a spoon or whisk until smooth.
Hazel nut Praline:
50g caster/Superfine sugar
100g hazelnuts, chopped
Place the sugar and nuts into a saucepan over a medium heat and caramelise gently, stirring to coat the hazelnuts.
When the sugar turns golden brown, pour the mixture out onto a butter paper greased with butter, spread out and leave to cool. Once cooled and set, smash the praline into pieces with a rolling pin.
Soaking Syrup
¼ Cup hot water
add 2 tbs Honey in the hot water and let it cool
Now the most fun part, assemble the cake. Soak both the cakes with honey syrup. Spread a thin layer or ganache on the smoother sides of both the cakes. Keep one of the cakes upside down on a wire rack. Have the ganache facing up as this will the foundation for you cake. Spread hazel nut praline on covering it completely. Now place the other cake above it ganache facing down to make the sandwich.
Press lightly.
Cover the cake completely with remaining ganache. Start from spreading from center and then cover sides for a smoother finish.
Sprinkle remaining praline on the sides and cover the sides evenly. Leave the cake for few minutes to set and then move gently to the serving tray or cake stand.
And dark, rich, luscious and hearty cake is ready.
Do bake with heart and soul and it shows. Have a great time baking.
