Culinary Hotline - Decadent Chocolate With Chevonne Fourie
Chocolate therapy, no appointment needed.
Ingredients:
- 160g dark chocolate
- 5ml instant coffee (dissolved in 5ml boiling water)
- 10g butter
- 10ml liqueur (coffee or hazelnut)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs, separated
To Serve:
- 125ml cream, whipped
- 30ml icing sugar (to sweeten cream)
- Chocolate shavings or fresh berries
How To Make Basque Chocolate Mousse
- Melt: Place the chocolate, butter, liqueur, and salt in a large bowl over a pot of simmering water (bain-marie). Stir until melted and smooth.
- Combine: Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. Add the dissolved coffee and mix well.
- Whip: In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they reach medium-stiff peaks.
- Fold: Let the chocolate mixture cool slightly, then gently fold in the egg whites until no white streaks remain.
- Set: Pour into serving cups, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Garnish: Top with whipped vanilla cream and chocolate shavings or fresh berries before serving.
Ingredients:
- Cake Sponge: 220g flour, 65g dark cocoa powder, 350g white sugar, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp instant coffee, 1/2 cup oil, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup boiling water.
- Icing: 250g butter (softened), 500g icing sugar (sifted), 40g cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 30ml – 60ml cream.
- Decoration: 1 punnet fresh strawberries, 1 large packet Whispers.
How To Make Chevonne’s Ultimate Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line and spray a 20cm cake tin (use a baking paper circle at the base for easy release).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, salt, and instant coffee.
- In a separate jug, whisk the oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until completely smooth.
- Stir in the boiling water. The batter will be thin.
- Pour into the prepared tin (fill only 3/4 full) and bake for 35–45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.
- The Icing
- Beat the softened butter until smooth.
- Mix the icing sugar and cocoa powder together.
- Add the sugar mixture to the butter. You can add it slowly, or do it the “cowboy way” by adding it all at once and mixing on high until light and fluffy!
- Add cream if the mixture is too thick; it should be spreadable but firm. Do not refrigerate the icing before use.
- Assembly
- Cut the cooled sponge in half to create two layers.
- Spread icing on the bottom layer, then top with the second sponge.
- Apply a very thin “crumb coat” of icing over the whole cake and chill for 15 minutes to lock in crumbs.
- Apply a second smooth layer of icing.
- Pipe a border around the top using a star nozzle. Fill the center with Whispers and garnish the border with fresh strawberries.