Chocolate Garam Masala Cake

This smart deco style coffee cup is a modern design by Jasper Conran for Wedgwood. The silver plate with lace work cut out details is the base of a butter dish I found on my travels.

Notes

A few years ago I experimented with a basic chocolate cake recipe to make something a little different for my Dad’s Birthday. By adding coffee, sour cream and the classic Indian spice mix Garam Masala to the batter I had a rich but not too sweet cake that fills your kitchen with wafts that hint at travels through exotic lands, bustling market places and new adventures. Perfect for my Father.

Ingredients

150g good quality milk chocolate
1 cup strong black coffee, preferably filtered
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp garam masala spice
3 eggs, separated
250g softened butter
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup hazelnut meal

Ingredients – Ganache

200g dark chocolate
200ml thickened cream
strawberries to serve

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line 2x 20cm round cake tins. Place the chocolate, coffee and cocoa in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water and stir until chocolate melts and ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time beating well after each addition. Stir in the sour cream and cooled chocolate mixture. Sift the flour, hazelnut meal, bicarb and garam masala and fold into the mixture. In a separate small bowl beat the egg whites until frothy then fold into the mixture. Pour evenly into prepared tins and bake for approx 40-45min or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. If on different levels in the oven, alternate position of cake tins after 20min. Remove cakes from the oven and set aside to cool for 10min before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile to make the ganache icing, break the chocolate into small squares and place in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until melted and combine well. Place one of the cakes on a place and spread half the ganache over the top. Place the second cake on top and spread with the remaining ganache. A pile of strawberries centred on top of the cake is a lovely fresh addition to this treat.