Chocolate Ginger Cake, Chai Pear, Pecan Praline Recipe
Winter months and their related festivities convey with them a need to cosy up indoors with woollen jumpers and log fires, whereas our palates flip from gentle and recent summer season fare to wealthy and fragrant flavours. This recipe for Chocolate Ginger Cake with Chai Buttercream, Chai Poached Pear and Pecan Praline is impressed by these heat and spicy scents and flavours of winter.
This recipe was initially created in 2017 for a characteristic in American Cake Decorating journal and it subsequently was featured in The Taste.ie. It’s such a very good seasonal cake which I’ve made many instances. I assumed it was time that I shared it straight with my followers so that you can take pleasure in too!
Chocolate Ginger Cake Flavours
The chocolate ginger cake is deliciously gentle and moist, with the ginger including simply the correct amount of warmth to provide a bit winter kick, with out being overbearing for individuals who usually are not so inclined in direction of ginger.
Chai is a spiced milk tea from India, with the spices used various from area to area however usually together with the heady mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and pepper, an ideal spicy praise to the ginger of the chocolate cake. I’ve launched the chai flavour with a flavoured butter within the buttercream icing, and in addition within the chai poached pears. Chocolate and pear is a match made in heaven and the pears are a fantastically candy and recent addition to this cake.
The ultimate flourish is the pecan praline, including a bit crunch and additional seasonal decadence!
Chocolate Ginger Cake Particulars
Embellished with a half poached pear, candied pecans and a bit gold leaf this cake is a bit bit particular and would make a tasty centrepiece dessert for seasonal gatherings. A lot may be made prematurely in preparation for entertaining: un-iced the cake retains properly in an hermetic container for as much as every week whereas the buttercream can likewise be made prematurely and saved within the fridge. As soon as assembled it may be wrapped tightly in cling movie and stored within the fridge for 1-2 days…..if any lasts that lengthy!
I hope you take pleasure in this cake, do tag us on social media @covecakedesign together with your creations!
Suzanne x
Chocolate Ginger Cake, Chai Pear, Pecan Praline
Elements for the Chocolate Ginger Cake:
- 175g unsalted butter
- 150g 70% darkish chocolate callets
- 150g caster sugar
- 150g comfortable gentle brown sugar
- 45g cocoa powder
- 225mls sizzling espresso
- 1tbsp darkish treacle
- 2 massive eggs, overwhelmed
- 210g plain flour
- 2heaped tsp floor ginger
- 1tsp baking powder
- 1tsp baking soda
- Pinch salt
Elements for the Chai Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 340g unsalted butter
- 3 chai teabags
- 150g recent egg whites
- 250g granulated sugar
- 1tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp floor ginger
Elements for the Chai Poached Pears
- 500ml water
- 3 chai teabags
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- 150g caster sugar
- 2 pears
Elements for the Pecan Praline
- 75g caster sugar
- 50g pecan nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Methodology:
- Preheat the oven to 150⁰C/300F. Grease and line the bottom and sides of three 15cm/6” cake tins.
- To make the cake, soften the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over a low warmth.
- Take away from the warmth and whisk within the sugar and cocoa powder till integrated.
- Slowly add the new espresso and whisk till clean.
- Whisk within the treacle after which the eggs one by one.
- Within the bowl of a mixer (or a big bowl), sift collectively the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt and blend gently till mixed.
- With mixer on low velocity progressively pour the chocolate combination into the flour combination. As soon as added, beat on medium-high velocity for about 1min. Scrape the underside of bowl and beat once more briefly till there aren’t any lumps and every thing is properly blended.
- Divide the combination between the three tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or till springy to the contact and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clear. Go away muffins to chill within the tin for 10 minutes earlier than turning out onto a wire rack to chill fully.
- To make the chai poached pears, place the water in a saucepan with a squeeze of lemon juice and convey to the boil.
- Take away from the warmth and add the chai teabags. Go away to infuse for about 10-15mins earlier than eradicating the teabags.
- Add the sugar to the chai tea and convey to a simmer once more to dissolve.
- Peel the pears and add to the poaching liquid.
- Simmer for about 25-30mins till pears are comfortable by means of.
- Take away the pears from the poaching liquid, drain of extra liquid and put aside to chill fully.
- To make the pecan praline, warmth the sugar in a small saucepan over a medium warmth, swirling occasionally till sugar has melted and begins to show a golden brown color. Take care to not burn.
- Take away from the warmth and shortly add the chopped pecans, stirring to coat.
- Rapidly scrape the praline onto non-stick baking paper and unfold out. Go away to chill earlier than roughly breaking apart in a small blender or pestle and mortar.
- To make the chai swiss meringue buttercream icing, soften the butter in a saucepan over a medium warmth. Warmth till the butter begins to sizzle, darkens barely and exudes a scrumptious toffee-like aroma.
- Take away from the warmth and add the chai tea baggage. Go away to infuse for at the very least 30 minutes.
- Take away the tea baggage and pour the butter right into a bowl. Place within the fridge till agency.
- When able to make the buttercream, take away the flavoured butter from the fridge and permit to heat up barely (you need the butter cool however not fridge chilly).
- Clear the bowl and whisk of an electrical mixer with a squeeze of lemon juice and dry with paper towel to take away any traces of grease.
- Place the egg white and sugar into the bowl and place over a pot of simmering water, whisking continually, till the temperature reaches 160°F on a sweet thermometer. If you happen to don’t have a thermometer, whisk till the sugar has fully dissolved and the egg whites are sizzling.
- Switch the bowl to the mixer and utilizing the whisk attachment whisk till the meringue is thick and shiny and the underside of the bowl feels impartial to the contact.
- Swap to paddle attachment and with mixer on low velocity add the butter a dice at a time, mixing till integrated after every addition. If the combination curdles proceed to combine till it comes again collectively. Add the cinnamon and ginger and blend once more briefly. If the buttercream is simply too runny, refrigerate till firmer and blend once more earlier than utilizing.
- To assemble the cake, trim the tops of every cake so they’re the identical top.
- Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Pipe one third of the chai buttercream on prime and clean with a palette knife. Chop one and a half of the poached pears into small items and sprinkle half on prime of the buttercream (you don’t have so as to add all of the pear when you really feel it’s an excessive amount of). Sprinkle over a 3rd of the praline. Repeat with the second cake layer.
- Invert the ultimate cake layer on prime. Pipe and unfold the remaining buttercream and sprinkle with the remaining pecans. Place the remaining half a poached pear on prime. If desired add a bit gold leaf.
