chocolate cake:
1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon (200 grams) all purpose flour
¾ cups + 2 tablespoons (90 grams) unsweetened dutch process cocoa
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
1 cup (225-240 grams) buttermilk or sour cream
½ cup (112 grams) neutral oil
1 cup (225 grams) hot coffee (hot water or black tea would work too)
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line two 8 or 9 inch round cake tins. Prepare your coffee (or hot water, or tea), and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda & baking powder. Stir in the sugars. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, sour cream and oil– whisk until well combined and fully emulsified. Pour this liquid mixture into the flour/cocoa/sugar mix, and stir to combine. It will be fairly thick.
Lastly, gradually pour in the hot coffee and whisk until combined and no lumps remain. Evenly divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool completely before assembly.
mascarpone mousse
1 ⅓ cups (320 grams) mascarpone
½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream, whipped
¼ - ⅓ cup (30-50 grams) icing sugar
1 vanilla bean, or 1-2 tsp vanilla bean paste
In a mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone and sugar until soft and creamed, then beat in the vanilla.
Fold in the whipped cream until just combined, then place in the fridge until needed.
Blackberry compote
1 cup fresh blackberries
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (maple syrup or honey work great as well!)
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (1-2 teaspoons)
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or seeds from half a vanilla bean pod)
Add all ingredients to a small saucepan, cook for 8-10 minutes, on medium heat until the blackberries are soft and pierceable. Remove only the berries and place them in a jar or bowl, while you continue cooking the liquid on a low simmer (low/medium heat, stirring occasionally) until slightly thickened, and reduced to roughly half the amount (5-7 more minutes). Add the berries back in, stir to combine, then transfer to your jar or bowl to cool completely, before using in your cake.
milk tea ganache frosting
½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream
4-5 black tea bags (or 3-4 tablespoons loose leaf black tea)*
6 ounces/ 1 cup (180 grams) semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
¼ cup or ½ stick (58 grams) unsalted butter, at room temp and cut into smaller pieces
pinch of salt
*this will seem like a lot of tea, for a small amount of liquid, but the dark chocolate will overpower any tea flavour otherwise.
*a packet or two of roasted milk tea powder/drink mix (found at any Asian grocer) works nicely too– avoid using too much, as it will add additional sweetness.
Bring the heavy cream to a boil, in a small pot, with the tea. Once at a boil, remove from the heat, and let it steep until the heavy cream cools. Once cooled, remove the tea bags (or loose leaf tea, using a strainer/fine mesh sieve), and squeeze to get all the excess tea!
Add the tea-steeped heavy cream to a heatproof bowl with the chocolate. Set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring until completely melted. Remove the bowl from the pot of water.
Add the butter to the melted chocolate/cream mix and whisk until completely melted and smooth. Let this cool until slightly thickened and spreadable– 30-60 minutes at room temp.
Assembly…
Place one layer of chocolate cake on a large plate, cake board, or platter. Spread a generous layer of mascarpone mousse (use all of it, or store any leftover in an airtight container or jar), then a layer of compote (or jam of your choice), followed by the second layer of cake. Frost the top with the ganache, and flourish with Spring blooms. xx
