Nadiya Hussain's chocolate espresso cake
Nadiya is famed for her bold flavours - and today she’s treating us to some sugary goodness, with her gorgeous chocolate espresso cake. Sure to be a family favourite, Nadiya’s recipe is foolproof and full of flavour!
Espresso Cake
Makes 12 slices or 1 20cm round cake
Recipe taken from Cook Once, Eat Twice
Ingredients
For the cake: Oil, for greasing225g plain flour, sifted 350g caster sugar85g cocoa powder1½ tsp baking powder1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 250ml whole milk2 medium eggs, lightly beaten125ml olive oil 250ml boiling water3 tbsp coffee granules
For the ganache: 250g dark chocolate (70%), chopped 200ml boiling water 1 tbsp coffee granules 100g milk chocolate, shaved, to serve
Method
1. Start by preheating the oven to 170C and lining and greasing a deep 20cm round cake tin - make sure the lining paper stands about 2 - 3cm above the top of the cake tin. Set aside and get on making the cake batter, which is really quick.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl along with the caster sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Whisk everything together till all the dry ingredients are mixed through.
3. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, then crack in the eggs, pour in the olive oil and whisk till you have a thick batter. Pour in the boiling water, along with the coffee, and mix it all through - you will have a very runny cake batter.
4. Pour into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf for 55 minutes - 1 hour till a skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake is coming away from the edges. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin completely.
5. Make the ganache by putting the dark chocolate in a bowl. Pour in the boiling water and sprinkle over the coffee granules. Mix till the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth ganache. To make it more quickly and for an ultra-smooth result, you can mix it using a stick blender. Allow the ganache to cool down for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, to thicken slightly.
6. Take the cake out of the tin, pour the ganache all over the cooled cake and spread it out evenly.
7. Sprinkle over the shaved milk chocolate, then pop into the fridge and leave to chill completely so the ganache can set. Place onto a serving dish and cut into wedges to enjoy.
Nadiya’s top tip: Adding coffee to chocolate enhances the cocoa flavour, but to make it more child-friendly, remove the coffee altogether, or experiment with extracts such as vanilla, peppermint, orange, etc!