Today is World Chocolate Day, and so to celebrate we’ve found a delicious Chocolate Cake recipe.
Chocolate has become one of the most popular food types and flavours in the world. Whether it takes the form of a food or a drink, or whether it’s for comfort or as a present chocolate take all sorts of forms.
Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, the dried and partially fermented seeds of the cacao tree, a small evergreen tree native to the deep tropical region of the Americas. Roughly two-thirds of the entire world's cocoa is produced in West Africa, with 43% sourced from Côte d'Ivoire, and according to the World Cocoa Foundation, some 50 million people around the world depend on cocoa as a source of livelihood.
Several types of chocolate can be distinguished. Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk.
The health effects of chocolate refer to the possible beneficial or detrimental physiological effects of eating chocolate mainly for pleasure. For example, cocoa and dark chocolate may support cardiovascular health. Other effects under preliminary research include reduced risks of cancer, coughing and heart disease.
Chocolate & Nutella Vertical Roll Cake Recipe
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Cake
1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (60 g) All purpose flour
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tbsp Cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
3 Large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (140 g) Granulated sugar + extra for rolling
Nutella cream
1/2 cup Heavy cream
1/2 cup Nutella
Chocolate buttercream
100 g (1 scant stick) Softened butter
100 g Semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tbsp Espresso or strong coffee, cooled
1 tbsp Nutella, at room temperature
Garnish
Maltesers (cut in half)
Blackberries
Edible flowers
Pink salt
Instructions
Cake
1. Preheat oven to 225°C (437°F). Cover a large baking sheet or a roasting pan (one that fits your oven) with baking paper.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs and sugar until very pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Sift in the flour mixture and stir carefully until mixture is smooth. Spread mixture on the baking paper almost all the way to the edges of the paper. It should be thin but not so thin that you can see the paper through the mixture. Bake for 6-7 minutes.
4. While the cake is baking, put a piece of baking paper (larger than the cake) on your work surface. Sprinkle sugar on the baking paper.
5. Remove the cake from the oven, then carefully turn the cake over with the "top" facing down on the sugar. Carefully peel off the bottom piece of paper. Let cool completely.
Nutella cream
1. Whip cream until soft peaks form.
2. Add the nutella and whip until stiff peaks form.
Filling the cake
1. Spread the nutella cream over the cake. Cut four long strips, lengthwise (i.e. start cutting from the short side). If needed, use a measuring tape to get evenly sized strips. I find it easier to use a pizza slicer than a knife to make even layers.
2. Start with one strip and roll, then take the next strip and put it right next to the edge of the first strip and roll. Repeat the same steps with all layers.
3. Once your roll cake is ready, simply tip it over and place it on a plate or a cake stand. If it feels unstable, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge while you prepare the buttercream.
Chocolate buttercream
1. Beat the butter until light and creamy.
2. Add the melted chocolate, espresso and Nutella and beat until smooth.
If buttercream feels too loose, put the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes.
3. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on the cake using an offset spatula. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
4. Spread the remaining buttercream all over the cake. If you have some leftover, you can pipe "blobs" on top of the cake!
5. Garnish with edible flowers, blackberries, Maltesers and a pinch of pink salt.
For this and more great recipes pleaser head on over to call-me-cupcake.blogspot.co.uk