Tom Kerridge's Mocha Cake With Hazelnut Praline Cream
This is a flourless cake that bakes into a delicious, soft and sticky consistency. The mocha and hazelnut praline pair beautifully, giving the cake a sophisticated edge. The key to an easy Sunday lunch dessert is a recipe that you can make ahead – this is a showstopper.
Ingredients
Cake
Praline cream
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C fan.
Grease and line with baking paper a 23cm round springform cake tin.
Put the butter and chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Stir until both the chocolate and butter have completely melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir through the coffee, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and salt. Leave to cool slightly.
Put the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form – or use an electric hand whisk for this. Transfer the egg whites to a separate bowl and then place the egg yolks and sugars in the same stand mixer bowl that you whisked the egg whites in. Whisk on a high speed for 5-7 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale. Again you can use an electric hand whisk for this stage.
Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg yolk and sugar mixture and whisk until well combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold through the ground hazelnuts.
Take one third of the egg whites and with a whisk gently mix into the chocolate mixture to combine. Add half of the remaining egg whites and fold in very gently with a metal spoon. Once it has been incorporated, repeat with the last of the egg white. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Cook for 45 minutes or until the top just begins to rise. Remove it from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make the praline. First line a tray with baking parchment. Then place the caster sugar into a small pan and melt over a high heat until it turns to a golden caramel. Tip in the toasted hazelnuts and, working quickly, stir to coat them in caramel then tip the mixture out onto the lined tray. Leave to cool.
Next, pour 300ml of the cream and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar into a medium bowl. Using electric beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Chop up the praline roughly, transfer to a mini food processor and pulse until it turns into a fine crumb. Fold this through the cream, then stir through the last 50ml of double cream to loosen the mixture before transferring to a serving bowl. Carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate, cut into thick wedges and serve with a big dollop of praline cream.
