CHOCOLATE CHURRO CAKE
CHOCOLATE CHURRO CAKE
Recipe
It's obvious by the name of this cake that it's inspired by churros – one of my all-time favourite sweet treats, which I find myself eating a lot of in Los Angeles where I now reside. The brown butter element of this cake emphasises the flavour of a doughnut, as does the cinnamon, and the chilli adds a subtle warmth which brings out the flavour of the chocolate. All in all, a very moreish and decadent cake! Decorate with gold leaf for an extra touch of glam.
SERVES 12
FOR THE CAKE
200g butter
200g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
150g ground almonds
100g flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
Pinch sea salt
¼ cup whole milk
80g chocolate chips
CHILLI CHOCOLATE SAUCE
200ml cream
100g 70 per cent dark chocolate
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
Pinch sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
TOPPING
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 sheets of edible gold leaf (optional)
- First, make the brown butter. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. It will begin to foam and the colour will progress from yellow to golden to a toasty-brown. Once you smell a nutty aroma, take the pan off the heat and transfer the browned butter into a bowl and place in the fridge to solidify. Take it out of the fridge when the butter is the softness of butter at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 170C fan bake. Line the base of a 20cm bundt tin with baking paper and grease the extended centre part very well.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the cooled brown butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- In 2 parts, mix in the ground almonds, flour, cinnamon, chilli flakes and salt. Then add the milk. Stop your electric mixer once all of the ingredients are combined. Be careful not to over mix. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips by hand.
- Spoon the batter into the tin and spread out to the sides making sure the top is nice and flat.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden in colour, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, make the chilli chocolate sauce. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the cream until small bubbles start to appear on the surface. Once this happens, take off the heat, and stir in the chocolate, chilli flakes, salt and cinnamon. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens up and turns glossy. Set aside to cool and thicken up slightly.
- For an extra lavish touch, press the sheets of edible gold leaf onto the top and sides of the cake once completely cooled, bit by bit. It makes it a lot easier if you can get the kind of gold leaf with a transfer backing sheet, which prevents the delicate gold from sticking to your fingers when handling. But if you can’t get this kind, you can use a pastry brush or clean paint brush to apply the gold.
- After applying the (optional) gold, combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it over the top of the cake. Then pour over the chocolate sauce.
- Serve at room temperature. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.