Chocolate Almond Cake with a Chocolate Biscoff Buttercream – He Keke Tiakarete Aramona me te Pani Reka Tiakarete Biscoff.
I created this keke (cake) for https://www.reomaori.co.nz to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week). Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is a time for us to celebrate how far we have come and to remember that we are on this haerenga (journey) together. Te Reo Māori (the Māori Language) is a unique part of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and we all have a roll to play to keep it alive and thriving. So, what better way to do that than make an indulgent keke (cake) that is consists of a deep keke tiakarete aramona (chocolate almond cake), smothered in a rich pani reka tiakarete biscoff (chocolate biscoff buttercream), it has more biscoff in the centre with crunchy maltesers and is topped with joyful things like māngohe māwhero (pink marshmallow), paramu tauraki-tio (freeze-dried plums) and putiputi raki (dried flowers). I just know this keke (cake) is going to become a favourite in your whare.
Chocolate Almond Cake with Chocolate Biscoff Buttercream – He Keke Tiakarete me te Aramona, He Pani Reka Tiakarete me te Biscoff.
A rich chocolate and almond cake that is covered in chocolate biscoff buttercream with the crushed Maltesers in the centre for texture.
Servings 12 slice
Ingredients
Chocolate Almond Cake – Keke Tiakarete Aramona
- ¾ C (185 ml) miraka (milk)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) winika (vinegar) or wai rēmana (lemon juice)
- 1 C (100 g) kōkō (cocoa, dutch is best)
- ½ C (100 g) huka hāura (brown sugar, tightly packed)
- ½ tsp tote (salt, fine)
- ½ tbsp paura kawhe (coffee powder, instant)
- 1 C (250 ml) wai wera (hot water, boiled)
- 3 hēki iti (small eggs, size 6)
- 1 C (220 g) huka one (caster sugar)
- ½ tbsp wanira (vanilla)
- ⅔ C (165 ml) noni (oil, neutral oil, I use olive oil but use what you have)
- 1 C (120 g) peru oneone (ground almonds)
- 1 ¼ C (185 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
- 1 ¼ tsp pēkana paura (baking powder)
- 1 tsp pēkana houra (baking soda)
Chocolate and Biscoff Buttercream – Pani Reka Tiakarete me te Biscoff
- 150 g tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate, I use 50% but use whatever you like)
- 3 tbsp kirīmi, miraka rānei (cream or milk)
- 200 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- ⅔ C (110 g) puehu huka (icing sugar)
- 2 tsp wanira (vanilla)
- ½ C (115 g) biscoff spread (smooth, room temperature)
Ingredients for the centre of the cake – Ngā kai mō te puku o te Keke
- 140 g maltesers (I used a mixture of gold and milk chocolate but use use what you like. These can also be swapped for your favourite cookies turned in to a crumb)
- ½ C (115 g) biscoff spread (smooth, softened slightly)
The Decorations – Ngā Whakarākei (all optional – the possibilities are endless)
- 6 -8 cubes māngohe (marshmallow)
- ½ C paramu tauraki-tio (freeze-dried plums)
- 12 putiputi raki (dried flowers)
- Rau kōura (gold leaf)
Instructions
Chocolate Almond Cake – Keke Tiakarete Aramona
- Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Grease and line 2 x 19 cm or 2 x 20 cm cake tins with baking paper on the base and sides.
- Combine the miraka (milk) and winika (vinegar) in a glass. Stir to create a simple buttermilk. Leave to the side.
- To a jug or medium bowl, add the kōkō (cocoa), huka hāura (brown sugar), tote (salt) and paura kawhe (coffee powder). Mix it up.
- Boil the jug and pour the wai wera (hot water) in to the cocoa mix. Stir it. Once the ranunga kōkō (cocoa mixture) is smooth and free of lumps, pour in the miraka pata (buttermilk) and stir it in. Leave to the side.
- In to a large bowl, add the hēki (eggs), huka one (caster sugar) and wanira (vanilla). Using a whisk, whip for a minute or so until smooth.
- Slowly drizzle in the noni (oil) as you whisk it in to a smooth batter. Continue whisking as you pour in the cocoa mixture.
- Once the mixture is smooth, sift in all of the peru oneone (ground almonds), puehu parāoa (flour), pēkana paura (baking powder) and pēkana houra (baking soda).
- Using a whisk, stir the mixture together for 2 – 3 minutes until it all combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared cake tins.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until they spring back in the centre when pressed.
- Remove the cakes from the oven. Flip them straight on to a cooling rack as this helps them stay flat so you don't have to trim the cakes. Leave the baking paper on the cakes until you are ready to decorate them.
- Allow them to completely cool before decorating.
Chocolate and Biscoff Buttercream – Pani Reka Tiakarete me te Biscoff
- Chop the tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) roughly in to chunks. Add the tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) and kirīmi (cream) or miraka (milk) to a heat proof bowl.
- Gently melt it in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring well between each time. This should take a minute or just over. You can also melt it gently in a heat-proof bowl that is sitting over a pot of barely simmering water (around 3cm deep). Make sure the bowl is not touching the water. Stir it occasionally until it is melted.
- Once completely melted and smooth, leave the tiakarete (chocolate) to cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), puehu huka (icing sugar) and wanira (vanilla) to a large bowl. Whip on high until light and fluffy for around 4-5 minutes.
- Add the cooled tiakarete (chocolate) in the whipped pata (butter). Whip again on medium speed for around 40 seconds.
- Add the room temperature bsicoff and whip on medium speed for 40 seconds. It is ready to adorn your delicious keke (cake).
Cake Assembly – Te Mahi Hanga Keke
- Add the first cooled keke (cake) to a cake stand or plate.
- Add around ⅔ – ¾ C of the pani reka (buttercream) and spread it over the top of the keke (cake). Once smooth, pipe a border around the edge. If you don't have a piping bag, just add small blobs of buttercream around the edge of the cake and use a spoon to create a border.
- Add the softened biscoff in to the centre and gently feather it out to the edges of the border.
- Cut the Maltesers in to a mixture of shapes, some in half and some smaller. If you want to decorate with them as well, reserve half a cup for decoration.Add the remaining pieces in to the centre of the keke (cake), nestling them in to the pani reka (buttercream) and biscoff.
- Add the second keke (cake) on top and press it down gently. Continue to spread the pani reka (buttercream) on top of the keke (cake) and down the sides. Make sure to take the time to smooth it out.
- If you have extra pani reka (buttercream), pipe some in a pattern around the edge like I did. Divide the māngohe (marshmallow) around the edge, add some maltesers in between them. Add the paramu-tauraki tio (freeze-dried plums) on either side of the maltesers. Sprinkle some of the paramu-tauraki tio (freeze-dried plums) around the edge of the keke (cake).
- Finish with the putiputi raki (dried flowers) around the edge and a sprinkle of rau kōura (gold leaf).
- Serve to your guests and enjoy your efforts.
- Store this keke (cake) in a sealed container on the bench. In the hotter months you can store the decorated and uncut cake it in the refrigerator but bring it room temperature before eating. Once it is cut, don't keep it in the fridge as the cake will dry out. It will develop in flavour as it sits and in my opinion is even better a few days after being baked. It will keep well for up 7 days.
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