Chocolate ganache, coffee cream and crunchy biscuit come together to make this incredible masterpiece. Is it a biscuit or is it a cake? Who cares? It’s delicious!
PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR (+ STANDING & COOLING)
SERVES 16
You will need:
385g firmly-packed brown sugar
150g plain flour
240g wholewheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
250ml milk
125g butter, melted, cooled
55g roasted hazelnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
For the ganache
500g dark chocolate, finely chopped
600ml cream
For the coffee cream
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
600ml thick cream
80g icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted
How to make the biscuit cake:
1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Draw 8 x 18cm circles on sheets of baking paper. Turn the sheets marked-side down.
2 Combine sugar, flours, baking powder, soda and nutmeg in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Whisk egg, milk and butter in a medium jug. Add to flour mixture; whisk until just combined.
3 Spread 1/2 cup of cake mixture in each circle; sprinkle each round with 1 tablespoon hazelnuts and 2 teaspoons cacao nibs. Place on oven trays.
4 In batches, bake on trays for 10-12 minutes (swapping trays around halfway through) or until firm to touch. Transfer rounds, on baking paper, to wire racks to cool.
5 Repeat the process with the remaining marked baking paper and remaining cake mixture to make eight cake layers in total. Remove lining paper after cooling.
6 Make ganache, then coffee cream.
7 Place a cake layer on a plate or stand; spread with 1/2 cup of coffee cream. Drizzle 1/3 cup of ganache over coffee cream, allowing it to drip a little over the edge. Repeat layering, finishing with a ganache layer. A palette knife will make spreading ganache and coffee cream easier. Otherwise, use the back of a dessert spoon to spread the mixtures. Refrigerate cake for 1 hour.
8 Just before serving, sprinkle with remaining nuts and cacao nibs.
How to make the ganache:
Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Pour hot cream over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Stand at room temperature until thickened slightly.
How to make the coffee cream:
Combine water and coffee in a jug; cool. Beat cream and icing sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add cocoa and coffee mixture; beat until firm peaks form. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use.
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