As most of you have probably realized from the content on my blog…I have quite a sweet tooth. I love to have a little something sweet at the end of my meals, probably not a good habit, but I normally can’t help myself. Everyone has their faults right?
This weekend, I made a chocolate cake that satisfied all every sweet tooth in my mouth! The cocoa is rich, but not sugary, and the buttermilk in the recipe added a zest that balanced the intensity of the chocolate.
Chocolate cake tends to be a little on the boring side, to my palate, but with the addition of the cardamom black tea infused meringue, drenched in homemade salted caramel, there was absolutely no room for boring. The balance of the flavors and textures were perfect. The light and airy meringue was exactly what this cake needed and the sticky caramel provided just the right amount of saltiness, resulting in a delicious and creative twist on a basic recipe.
Chocolate Cake with Cardamom Black Tea Meringue and Caramel
Author: modified from www.raspberricupcakes.com
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: cake
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10 people
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Ingredients:
- 1.5 cup (about 95g) plain/all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cup (about 170g) sugar (I used caster/superfine but white/granulated is fine too)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking/bicarb soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 12 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
- 1.5 sticks butter (12 tbsp), melted
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 large egg
- 2 egg whites
Meringue Ingredients:
- 2 large egg whites
- ¾ cup tightly packed brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup strongly brewed black tea (use 3 tea bags- I used Sadaf, which is a Persian tea with Cardamom, but your favorite black tea will work)
Caramel Ingredients: from www.browneyedbaker.com
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
- ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- ½ tablespoon fleur de sel (or any other flaky sea salt)
Instructions
Cake Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350
- Place parchment paper only on the base of a round 8″ cake pan, coat the entire pan in PAM
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb soda, and salt; set aside.
- With an electric mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment, combine cocoa and 5 tablespoons hot water until a thick paste forms (this process intensifies the chocolate flavor).
- Add butter, buttermilk, egg, and egg white; beat with whisk until combined.
- Fold in the flour mixture until just combined…do not over mix or it will dry out the cake
- Place into 8” round pan prepared with PAM and parchment paper
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. (cake is done when the fork or tester comes out just a little gooey..don’t over cook)
- Allow cake to cool completely prior to icing the cake
For icing:
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cream of tartar, ½ cup black tea & salt.
- Bring to a boil.
- Once the first signs of boiling begins, turn stand mixer on high to beat egg whites in until foamy & thick, they should mound, but not peak.
- Allow sugar combination to boil for 3-4 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reads 235 degrees F and all sugar is dissolved.
- Slowly pour in boiling sugar syrup in a slow steam while the mixer continues to beat the egg whites.
- Continue to beat on high for 5-7 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
- Top cake with meringue
Caramel Sauce: from www.browneyedbaker.com
- Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy saucepan, with a capacity of at least 2 or 3 quarts.
- Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. You’ll see that the sugar will begin to form clumps, but that’s okay. Just keep whisking and as it continues to cook, they will melt back down.
- Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks.
- Continue cooking until the sugar has reached a deep amber color. It should look almost a reddish-brown, and have a slight toasted aroma. This is the point where caramel can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds, so keep a close eye. If you are using an instant-read thermometer, cook the sugar until it reaches 350 degrees F.
- As soon as the caramel reaches 350 degrees, add the butter all at once. Be careful, as the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour the cream into the caramel. Again, be careful because the mixture will once again bubble up ferociously.
- Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add the fleur de sel and whisk to incorporate.
- Set the sauce aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes prior to pouring it over the cake
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Wow! I’m to bring a dessert to dinner this weekend, and I’ve just made my choice!!
Thank you.
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