Chocolate Cake with Biscoff Buttercream - He Keke Tiakarete me te Pani Reka Biscoff.
A rich chocolate and almond cake that is covered in chocolate biscoff buttercream with the crushed Maltesers in the centre for texture.
Servings 14 slices
Equipment
- 2 x 19 cm or 20 cm Cake Tins
Ingredients
Chocolate Almond Cake – Keke Tiakarete Aramona
- ¾ C (185 ml) miraka (milk)
- 2 tablespoon (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 teaspoon tote (salt, fine)
- ½ tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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 teaspoon 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 teaspoon 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). I use a store-bought marshmallow, Kapiti has a good range.
- ½ C paramu tauraki-tio (freeze-dried plums)
- 12 putiputi raki (dried flowers)
- Rau kōura (gold leaf)
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven:
- 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 cocoa mixture:
- Combine the miraka (milk) and winika (vinegar) in a glass jar, small jug or bowl. Stir it together to create a simple buttermilk. Leave it to the side.
- To a large jug or medium bowl, add the kōkō (cocoa), huka hāura (brown sugar), tote (salt) and paura kawhe (coffee powder). Mix it up with a whisk or fork until smooth.
- Boil the jug and pour the wai wera (hot water) in to the cocoa mix. Stir it with a whisk so all of the ranunga kōkō (cocoa mixture) has dissolved.
- Once it is smooth and free of lumps, pour in the miraka pata (buttermilk) and stir it in. Leave it to the side.
Whisk the egg mixture:
- 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 and well combined.
- Slowly drizzle in the noni (oil) as you continue to whisk for 30 seconds or so. Continue whisking as you pour in the cocoa mixture until combined.
Sift in the dry ingredients:
- 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).
Combine everything together:
- Using a whisk, stir the mixture slowly for 2 minutes until it all combined. Although it may feel like a long time to whisk the mixture, this helps create a little bit of gluten development which results in a sturdy cake, perfect for stacking.
Bake the Cakes
- Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared cake tins.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until they spring back in the centre when pressed.
Cool the cakes:
- 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 Biscoff Buttercream - Melt the Chocolate:
- 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.
Make the Chocolate Biscoff Buttercream:
- 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 Biscoff and whip on medium speed for 40 seconds. It is ready to adorn your delicious keke (cake).
Cake Assembly - Spread the First Cake with Buttercream:
- 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 Extra Biscoff:
- Add the softened biscoff in to the centre and gently feather it out to the edges of the border.
Add the Maltesers:
- 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 Cake:
- 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.
Add the Toppings:
- 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.
How to store the cake:
- Store this keke (cake) in a sealed container in a cool place. It will develop in flavour as it sits and in my opinion is even better a few days after it is baked. It will keep well for up 5 days.
- 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.