Mexican Chocolate and Chilli Cake Recipe

Here's a cake to get the taste buds going!  Chocolate and chilli is a delicious combination that originated in Mexico during the time of the Aztecs and Maya.  The chilli really enhances the flavour of the chocolate.  Made here in a 20cm Le Creuset Cast Iron casserole dish, which has superb heat conduction properties, it could also be made in a conventional cake tin.



Serves 6-8

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
250g butter at room temperature and extra for greasing
250g dark muscovado sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 medium eggs
200g self raising brown flour or self-raising unbleached flour and extra for dusting
50g organic cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-2 fresh mild red chillies very finely chopped - about 2 tablespoons
A little extra butter and flour to prepare the casserole

Icing

300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
300ml double cream
150g icing sugar

To serve

Fresh raspberries and vanilla ice cream

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C / 325°F / Gas mark 3, or for a fan oven, 150°C.

2. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot, but not boiling, water.  Leave to melt.

3. Mix the softened butter with the sugar and vanilla extract, then beat in the eggs one at a time.  Add a couple of tablespoons of the flour after the first 2 eggs to prevent the mixture from separating.

4. Sift the flour, cocoa and cinnamon into the mixture and beat well before mixing in the melted chocolate, followed by the fresh chopped chilli.

5. Grease the inside of the casserole with some butter and dust with a little flour.

6. Pour the cake mixture into the casserole, smooth over the top and bake in the centre of the oven without the lid for 50-60 minutes.

7. When cooked the top should be raised and crusted, a skewer should come away cleanly when inserted into the centre. If not cook for a further 5 minutes and check again. Do not overcook the cake or it will become dry.

8. Allow the cake to cool before turning it out.

9. For the icing, melt the chocolate and cream together in a saucepan over a very low heat.  Whisk together, sift in the icing sugar and whisk again until smooth and glossy. Cool until the icing is thick and spreadable.

10. Split the cake into two halves, then spread the base half with some of the icing and replace the top.  Coat the cake all over with the remaining icing.

9. Serve with fresh raspberries and vanilla ice cream.  Yum!

Recipe courtesy of Le Creuset


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