Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Carmel

Slofoodgroup Team March 10, 2019

Decadent Dark Chocolate cake, with Vanilla Bean Salted Caramel topping

Dark chocolate and vanilla beans, the perfect combination for after dinner delights to be served with coffee and conversation.  At our house it is always a challenge finding the right dessert to please everyone but with two knock out flavors like vanilla and dark chocolate we are sure we found a winner. We hope enjoy this recipe as much as we did and that it brings smiles all around the table.

 

Dark Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Salted Caramel 

For chocolate cream

In a sauce pan:
125 g milk
125 g heavy cream
 
In a mixing bowl:
4 medium egg yolks
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
 
In a separate bowl (one that can go in the fridge) put 150 g dark chocolate, chopped.

Bring the milk and cream to a simmer on a medium heat, mix slowly with the egg mixture in the mixing bowl and pour back to the sauce pan to cook on medium heat, stirring with a spatula until it thickens. Strain onto the chocolate, let sit for a minute and mix gently until the chocolate is melted and ir is combined. Put in the fridge for two hours.

For the cake:

 Preheat oven to 170 and line a 20' pan with parchment paper
In a mixing bowl:
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups water
Tbsp vanilla extract
 
In a separate bowl mix:
2.5 cups cake flour
1 cup cocoa powder
Tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder

Stir both mixes just till it's all combined (don't over stir)
Pour into the pan and bake for 45 min or until pick test (put a tooth pick into the cake and make sure it comes out dry or moist but with no batter on it)

For the salted caramel:

Heat lightly in the microwave 3/4 cup of heavy cream with a tsp of fine salt.

In a sauce pan:
3/4 cup of sugar
Scrap one Madagascar vanilla bean and add vanilla seeds into the pan (we used grade A Vanilla Beans but our Extract Grade Vanilla Beans from Madagascar will work just fine)
2 tbsp glucose or corn syrup
5 tbsp water

pinch fleur de sel  (optional)
 
Place on medium heat, don’t stir and watch carefully until you see it becomes caramel ( sugar should just be turning a medium to dark amber color, or  350-355 degrees), remove from heat. Add the cream carefully and stir with a whisk until smooth once cream is incorporated whisk put 3 tbsp butter and stir lightly then cool.
 

To assemble the cake:

Cut the cake into three even layers.  Spread chocolate cream evenly on the bottom layer, and then cover with the second layer, spread chocolate cream again and cover with the final layer of cake. Coat the cake with the remaining chocolate cream as desired.  To serve chill the cake for an hour and then heat the caramel in the microwave and pour freely on the cake and decorate with edible flowers or other garnishments as desired.

 

 

 

 

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