A decadent flourless chocolate cake recipe from Vege Mamma

With chocolate ganache, hazelnut praline, torched tahini and hazelnut meringue buttercream.

It’s said when it comes to food, we eat with our eyes first. This is certainly the philosophy that drives Sydney-based cook and creative, Valentine Fodor. Specialising in sweet treats of all kinds, Valentine (or Vege Mamma) combines layers of meringue and frosting with flourishes like pearls, studs, ribbons and flowers.

Looking for more nourishing reads? Try our Life section.

Below, Valentine has put together an exclusive recipe for Fashion Journal readers – a flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, hazelnut praline, torched tahini and hazelnut meringue buttercream.

Piled high with rich, vanilla-infused frosting, this is the perfect pick-me-up cake for someone you love. For a presentation as aesthetically pleasing as Valentine’s, top it with a ribbon, display it on this cake stand and serve it up on these wavy pink plates.

Ingredients

Cake:

400 grams of dark chocolate
130 grams of unsalted butter
10 eggs
140 grams of almond meal
50g cacao powder
Quarter cup water
One teaspoon salt
Two teaspoons of vanilla paste
250 grams caster sugar

Praline:

220 grams toasted and processed into crumbs of hazelnuts
Four egg whites
Two teaspoons of vanilla paste
One teaspoon salt

Ganache:

One cup of cream (plus one extra cup of cream for later)
230 grams of dark chocolate
One teaspoon vanilla
One teaspoon salt

Torched tahini and hazelnut Swiss meringue buttercream:

12 egg whites
613 grams caster sugar
150 grams of icing sugar
Half cup tahini
One teaspoon salt
Two teaspoons of vanilla paste
1⁄2 cup hazelnut praline
920 grams room temp butter

Method

For the ganache:

Bring one cup of cream to a rolling boil. Add vanilla and salt. Pour over 200 grams of chocolate (which will be in a bowl or container). Let the chocolate melt, and combine with cream. Add the remaining cup of cream. Make sure everything is evenly combined. Refrigerate for five hours.

For the cake, line a large flat rectangle tin or an eight-inch round tin. Over a double boiler, melt butter and chocolate. Add in water, salt and vanilla. Set aside. Separate egg yolks and whites.

In a stand mixer, whisk egg white until doubled and resembles a cloud. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until creamy and thick (about five to seven minutes). Add in the almond meal and cacao, and combine well.

Pour in the cooled chocolate and butter mixture. Fold in the egg whites. Once everything is well incorporated, bake in a preheated 150-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

For the praline:

Mix all ingredients together in one bowl until combined well. Pour mixture onto prepared lined parge rectangle tin in a preheated 130-degree oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Mix the mixture again for an even bake. Bake for an additional seven minutes. Let cool and harden.

For the Swiss meringue buttercream:

Cook the egg whites and sugar over a double boiler. Constantly whisk the mixture until the sugar melts. You will know this is ready when you rub your fingers into the eggs and can no longer feel the sugar granules. Pour into the large bowl of the stand mixture. Whisk for seven minutes, adding in icing sugar. Whisk for an additional 10 minutes.

Once the bowl feels cool to the touch, add in the butter, one to two tablespoons at a time. Whisk in the tahini and hazelnuts until everything looks shiny, creamy, thick and evenly combined. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes.

Assemble cake

Cut into layers, spread meringue buttercream then a layer of chocolate ganache, followed by a layer of hazelnuts. Continue layering until all cake has been used. Decorate as you wish and get creative!

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