INGREDIENTS
Chocolate cake
250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
185 ml (¾ cup) mild extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 eggs
220 g (1 cup firmly packed) brown sugar
110 g (½ cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
185 g (1 ¼ cup) plain all-purpose flour
75 g (¾ cup) Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
185 ml (¾ cup) hot coffee (the hot coffee helps the cocoa ‘bloom’ and boosts the chocolate flavour)
Chocolate ganache
125 g good quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
125 g good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
250 ml (1 cup) cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Pinch fine sea salt
Passionfruit and vanilla cream cheese filling
500 g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
110 g (⅔ cup) icing sugar
Pulp of 1 passionfruit
To assemble
Pulp of 2 passionfruit
1 tbsp dark Dutch processed cacao, for dusting
METHOD
Chocolate ganache
- Place the very finely chopped chocolate into a medium-sized bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat up the cream and vanilla on medium-high heat, induction setting 7 until it just comes to a simmer.
- Pour the hot cream over the finely chopped chocolate and allow it to sit untouched for 10 minutes, ensuring all of the chocolate is covered by the warm cream.
- After 10 minutes, whisk the cream and chocolate together until smooth and silky.
- Set aside in the refrigerator to set.
Chocolate cake
- Preheat on Cakes Plus at 160°C and place rack on shelf position 1.
- Grease and line 2 x 20 cm round cake tins with baking paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the buttermilk, olive oil, vanilla, eggs, brown sugar and castor sugar.
- Add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bi-carb soda, salt, and hot coffee. Whisk until smooth.
- Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake tins.
- Place the cakes in the oven on shelf position 1 and bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Passionfruit and vanilla cream cheese filling
- In a freestanding mixer or using hand beaters, beat the cream cheese and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the icing sugar and passionfruit and beat until smooth.
- Set aside in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
Alternative appliance methods
Oven
- Preheat on Fan Plus at 160°C and place rack on shelf position 2. Bake the cakes in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Hints and tips
- If you can’t access buttermilk, you can use 250 ml (1 cup) of full cream milk mixed with 1 tbsp lemon juice, set aside for 10 minutes to curdle.
- You can assemble the cake up to a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Simply dust with a little extra cocoa before serving.
- Any leftover cake is best stored covered in the refrigerator.
APPLIANCE / FUNCTION
Ashley Alexander
Australian foodie, recipe developer and stylist Ashley Alexander is a self-taught cook who spent a lot of her early years in the kitchen cooking up a storm with her mum, tasting, learning and experimenting. Now living in Melbourne, Ashley has followed her childhood passion, launching Gather and Feast, a website full of beautiful food and delicious recipes. “Gather and Feast brings together two very important concepts for me – people and food. I wanted to bring them together in a welcoming, all-encompassing and delicious way,” Ashley said.
