Name: Hazelnut mocha cake
Total time: 14400 s
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 100 gram blanched hazelnuts; 3 teaspoon instant coffee; 175 gram unsalted butter; 250 gram caster sugar; 3 egg; 250 gram plain flour; 2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; 100 gram soured cream; 75 gram 75% dark chocolate; 175 gram caster sugar; 3 egg; 50 gram 75% dark chocolate; 2 teaspoon instant espresso powder; 200 gram unsalted butter

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Grease three 20cm round cake tins and line the bases with buttered baking paper.

Step 2

Tip the hazelnuts (100 g) into a small baking tin and toast in the oven for 5 minutes, until golden. Cool, then whizz 75g of the toasted nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Roughly chop the remainder and set aside. Dissolve the M&S Fairtrade gold instant coffee (3 g) in 1-2 tsp boiling water.

Step 3

Cream the butter (175 g) and caster sugar (250 g) together in a freestanding mixer until really pale and light, around 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs (3) and coffee in three batches, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the sides with a spatula.

Step 4

Sift the flour (250 g) , baking powder (7 g) , bicarbonate of soda (5 g) and a pinch of salt into the bowl. Add the groundhazelnuts and soured cream (100 g) and mix again. Fold in all but 1 tbsp of the chocolate (75 g) and divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cake tins. Spread level using a palette knife and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 22-25 minutes, until golden brown and wellrisen, and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Leave to cool.

Step 5

To make the icing, combine the sugar (175 g) and egg whites (3) whites in a large heatproof bowl. Add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp water and set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly for 4-5 minutes, until the sugar has completely dissolved and a meringue mix has formed, glossy and hot to the touch. Quickly scoop the meringue into the bowl of a freestanding mixer and whisk for about 5 minutes, until cold and thickened.

Step 6

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate (50 g) in a heatproof bowl over the pan of hot water. Separately, dissolve the espresso powder (5 g) in 1 tsp boiling water. Gradually add the butter (200 g) to the cold meringue, whisking constantly and scraping down the sides of the mixer bowl from time to time, until silky-smooth. Put 1⁄3 of the mixture into a bowl and stir in the coffee. Stir the melted chocolate into the remaining icing.

Step 7

Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate and spread the top with half of the chocolate icing. Top with a second cake layer and spread this with the remaining chocolate icing. Cover with the third cake layer and spread the top with the coffee icing in decorative swirls. Scatter with the reserved chopped hazelnuts and grated chocolate to serve.

Hazelnut mocha cake

RECIPE

Ingredients

For the cake

For the icing

Method

Rate this recipe

Tags

More from Marks & Spencer

Spiced apple punch

Refreshing iced coffee

Easiest ever chocolate mousse

Red pepper pesto spaghetti

Autumnal pumpkin-shaped milk bread buns

Summery sweetcorn fritters with smashed avocado and poached eggs

Za’atar-crusted halloumi, blood orange, fennel and couscous salad

Honey and truffle-baked figs and feta

Home-made vegetable samosas

Festive cranberry spritz

Fig, walnut and goat’s cheese tart

Sticky shredded turkey bao buns

Speedy seafood paella

Bombay chicken naans

Vada pav-style bhaji burgers

Quick and easy smoky vegan ’nduja chickpea ragu with grains