Ingredients
| 350g dark chocolate, broken into pieces | |
| 175g butter, softened and roughly chopped | |
| ¼ teaspoon Guajillo chilli, finely ground (I used Tio Pablo from Farro) | |
| ½ teaspoon Earl Grey tea leaves, finely ground | |
| 7 free-range eggs, separated (I use size 7s) | |
| 100g caster sugar | |
| 300ml fresh cream | |
| 1 tablespoon icing sugar | |
| ¼ cup mandarin or orange juice | |
| ½ teaspoon finely grated fresh mandarin or orange zest | |
| cocoa powder to dust |
This recipe is one of my French husband’s family recipes – whipped up literally in a dash, the chocolatey, velvet softness of this cake is champion in our Franco-Kiwi household. Since meeting the effervescent Merrill J. Fernando of Dilmah last year I have been spellbound by the powers of tea and I am using it far less carelessly than before. The addition of bergamot citrus notes from Earl Grey tea touched with a smack on the tongue from fruity ground Guajillo chillies make these darling little cakes jaunty and voguish. Partner them with the perfect, pillowy mandarin cream.
Instructions
| 1. | FOR THE CAKES |
| 2. | Preheat the oven to 160℃. |
| 3. | Grease and line six 10cm springform cake tins. |
| 4. | Rest a medium-sized heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water on a medium-low heat. |
| 5. | Add the chocolate and butter and allow to melt together, stirring occasionally until smooth and glossy. |
| 6. | Remove the bowl from the heat, add the ground chilli and tea leaves, stir well and set aside to cool slightly. |
| 7. | Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. |
| 8. | Add the sugar to the egg yolks and beat until pale and fluffy. |
| 9. | Stir the melted chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then gently fold through the egg whites until the batter is smooth. |
| 10. | Transfer the mixture to the prepared tins and bake for around 30 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. |
| 11. | Allow to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before removing from the tins. |
| 12. | Serve gently warmed with a dusting of cocoa powder and a dollop of mandarin cream. |
| 13. | FOR THE MANDARIN CREAM |
| 14. | In large bowl, beat the cream and icing sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute or until the cream begins to thicken, then on high speed until stiff peaks form |
| 15. | Fold in the mandarin or orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon of zest. Refrigerate until ready to serve. |
Recipes, food styling & photography Fiona Hugues
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