Walnut and currant ganache cake

Name: Walnut and currant ganache cake
Ingredients: 250 g bittersweet chocolate; 250 ml whipping cream; 3 eggs; 1 pinch salt; 50 g butter; 3 tablespoons sugar; 1 vial vanilla essence; 50 g bittersweet chocolate; 3 tablespoons whipping cream; 100 g finely ground walnuts; 3 tablespoons flour; 1/2 packet baking powder; 3 tablespoons sugar; 300 ml water; 1 vial rum essence; 50 g currants

Dessert - Walnut and currant ganache cake by Ariadna K. - Recipia

Tart currants add a bright contrast to this walnut and chocolate cake with ganache, finished with whipped ganache once cooled. The cake layers are soaked with caramelized sugar syrup, and the cake is chilled before serving. For the cake, I choose bittersweet chocolate that isn’t very sweet. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 38 minutes. Rest: 230 minutes. Total time: 293 minutes. Serves: 8. Approximately 505 kcal and 9 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the ganache

250 g bittersweet chocolate
250 ml whipping cream

For the cake

3 eggs
1 pinch salt
50 g butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 vial vanilla essence
50 g bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons whipping cream
100 g finely ground walnuts
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 packet baking powder

For the syrup

3 tablespoons sugar
300 ml water
1 vial rum essence

For the filling

50 g currants

Preparation

1. Put 250 g bittersweet chocolate and 250 ml whipping cream in a saucepan. Heat over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring until smooth, then refrigerate for an hour. Briefly beat with a mixer, just until airy. 2. Toast 100 g finely ground walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring until fragrant. Leave to cool. 3. Separate the 3 eggs. Beat the egg whites with 1 pinch of salt until foamy. Cream 50 g softened butter with 3 tablespoons sugar, then add 1 vial of vanilla essence and the egg yolks. 4. Melt 50 g bittersweet chocolate with 3 tablespoons whipping cream over low heat for 4 minutes, stirring until smooth. Pour the chocolate over the egg whites, fold in the butter and egg yolk mixture, then the walnuts, 3 tablespoons sifted flour and 1/2 packet baking powder. 5. Pour the batter into a 20 cm pan lined with baking paper. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out without any raw batter on it. Leave the cake layer to cool for 30 minutes, then cut it in half. 6. Caramelize 3 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan over medium heat for 3 minutes, until it turns amber. Carefully pour in 300 ml water and boil for another 2 minutes, stirring until the caramel dissolves. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add 1 vial of rum essence and leave the syrup to cool for 20 minutes. 7. Soak both cake layers with all the syrup. Spread a layer of ganache on the first half, sprinkle over 50 g currants, then place the other half on top. Cover the cake with the remaining ganache and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Notes

Cut narrow slices and serve with black coffee; the ganache is quite dense. Use walnuts that don’t smell bitter, and if you have frozen currants, thaw and drain them well. You can replace the currants with the same amount of raspberries; the cake contains walnuts, gluten, dairy and eggs. I don’t rush the ganache cooling, and I start preparing for serving almost five hours ahead. Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator and eat it within 3 days.