Leftovers Chocolate Coffee Cake

This uses up any spare bits of chocolate that you have lying around.  I had a whole box of chocolates with a mix of salted caramel, white chocolate and praline that needed using up.  Obviously, you need to think about the flavours going in and I avoided a raspberry and orange chocolate but that is completely my taste preference.  Using coffee in the base should cut through any over sweet milk chocolate and surprisingly this icing isn’t overly sweet but it is definitely buttery.

Serves 10

Ingredients:

250g unsalted butter, softened and diced

230g caster sugar

5 medium eggs, lightly beaten together

140g plain/spelt flour

100g ground almonds

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp instant coffee

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

50ml milk (any kind)

For the icing:

300g leftover chocolate (milk, white, dark)

250g unsalted butter, softened and diced

1 tbsp amaretto

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Extra chocolate for making choc shavings

Cocoa for dusting

Preheat the oven to 165 C degrees on the fan setting. Grease and line x2 19cm cake tins.

Put the soft butter and sugar into a cake mixer with the paddle attachment and beat for 10 mins. You will need to scrape down the sides halfway. Continue until very light and fluffy.

Mix all the dry ingredients together into a bowl passing the coffee through a sieve (flour, ground almonds, coffee, bicarb, baking powder and salt).

Continue beating the butter and then slowly trickle in a little at a time of the beaten eggs. At half of the egg mix, add a few tablespoons of the dry mix followed by more of the eggs.

When all of the eggs are incorporated, turn down the mixer speed and start spooning in all of the dry. When finished stop the beater, scrape down the sides and add the milk and vanilla extract.

Mix everything together until just combined, about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides once more.

Divide batter equally between the two tins and bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool completely. 

Melt the mixed chocolate over a bains-Marie.  Depending on the types of chocolate it might not be very smooth and be a little clunky.  Allow this to cool to room temp but still soft. 

In a mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy.  Slowly spoon in the melted choc and beat in stages. 

If the butter starts to melt too much, place the bowl in the freezer for 3 mins.  Continue until all is incorporated. Then add vanilla, amaretto and salt. 

Assemble cake and add shavings with cocoa for dusting.