Not a flavour combination I've tried before, but it's won me over. These cakes are so light and airy and the lime adds to the fresh feel. Not the usual dense chocolate cakes I'm used to...but that just makes it perfectly ok to eat a plate to myself.
Although these cakes are simple to make and have no complicated ingredients, along the way you will be using three different bowls. This requires a little coordination (though probably more for me!) so be sure to fully read the method before you start.
Chocolate and lime mini cakes
(Recipe adapted from Ruby Tandoh, The Guardian)
150g dark chocolate
125g salted butter, cubed
zest of 3 limes
3 large eggs, separated
200g caster sugar
70g plain flour
Heat the oven to 170 degrees and thoroughly grease a silicone mould. (Ruby uses one 22cm loose bottomed cake tin lined with baking paper...this will be a lot easier to remove than individual mini cakes from a silicone moulds - the choice is yours)!
To start, melt the chocolate over a pan of barely simmering water, or on a low temperature in the microwave for short bursts.
Into the melted chocolate, stir in the butter and zest until fully melted. Set aside to cool.
Whisk together the egg yolks and 100g sugar until creamy and pale in colour.
In a clean, dry bowl whisk the egg whites until foamy. Whilst continuing to whisk, add the remaining 100g sugar a spoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. Continue until the mixture leaves a soft, glossy peak.
At this point, you'll have all three bowls on the go! To combine them...
Fold the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture. Now fold a third of this into the egg whites until just combined. Add the next third, and so on.
Sift in the flour, gently fold until just combined - it this stage its really important to keep as much of the air in the batter as possible. Add the remaining flour by sifting into the bowl and fold once more.
Spoon the wobbly, light batter into the tin/mini cake moulds.
If you choose to make individual mini cakes, bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. For one 22cm cake, bake for 30 - 35 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin before turning out.
Serve with a drizzle of chocolate ganache.
Ruby was my favourite last year. For all the critics who saids she was too pouty, too teary, too pretty etc. I though she had the most instinctive talent for baking. I am glad she is doing well. Lime and chocolate are not a flavour I have tried and it sounds an unlikely combination but these look delicious! Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare : )
ReplyDeleteMine too! I think I prefer her more after the show. Both her writing and recipes are beautiful, always nice when they do so well after.
DeleteChocolate and lime is such a good combo... I tried it in cookie form at a little coffee van a while ago and was totally won over :)
ReplyDeleteI'd never tried it before! But totally won over, goes so well doesn't it!
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