If you want to finish off your Christmas dinner in style than this Espresso Chocolate Fudge Cake with Amaretto Biscuits and Chocolate Ganache fits the bill. With a hint of Espresso and some Amaretto biscuits, there will be no need for coffee!

Ingredients:

– 50g best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
– 100g dark brown muscovado sugar
– 250ml boiling water
– 125g soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
– 150g caster sugar
– 225g plain flour
– ½ tsp baking powder
– ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 2 large eggs
– 1 pkt amaretto biscuits
– 250ml single cream, whipped and ready to pipe
– Some gold pearls for decoration

Chocolate Espresso Whipped Ganache
– 1 tsp espresso powder
– 3 tbsp hot water
– 450g dark chocolate, finely chopped
– 500ml double cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/350°F.Line the bottoms of two 18cm/7inch round sandwich tins with baking parchment and butter the sides.
2. Put the cocoa and 100g/half cup dark muscovado sugar into a bowl with a bit of space to spare, and pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix, then set aside.
3. Cream the butter and caster sugar together, beating well until pale and fluffy.
4. Put the flour, baking powder and bicarb together in another bowl, and set aside for a moment.
5. Add the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar – mixing all the while – then drop in 1 egg, quickly followed by a scoopful of flour mixture, then the second egg.
6. Keep mixing and incorporate the rest of the dried ingredients for the cake, then finally mix and fold in the cocoa mixture, scraping its bowl well with a spatula.
7. Divide the batter between the 2 prepared tins and put in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Take the tins out and leave them on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes, before turning the cakes out to cool.

Whilst Cakes are cooling make Ganache …

1. In a small cup, stir the espresso powder into the hot water until dissolved, set aside.
2. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl, set aside.
3. In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the double cream and espresso mixture. Bring to a gentle boil.
4. Remove from heat and pour the mixture over the chocolate. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute to melt the chocolate. Gently whisk until smooth.
5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the ganache for 2 hours, until chilled and slightly thickened.
6. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the ganache just until lightened in color, about 30 seconds. Do not overbeat the ganache or it will become grainy.

Assembly:

1. Cut cooled sponges in half so you have 4.
2. Sandwich together with chocolate espresso ganache.
3. Cover cake in Ganache and stick Amaretto biscuits around the sides.
4. Pipe Ganache and whipped Cream Swirls around the top of the cake.
5. Drop a few gold pearls on top of the cake for a nice effect.

Enjoy!

 Hi I’m Karyn. I’m a mum, blogger and lover of everything to do with  baking. I try to come up  with easy recipes that everyone can bake. I’ve won a few baking  awards and even appeared on  TV! I’m mostly found in my kitchen surrounded by flour and  baking books. Thanks for  stopping by and I hope you will join in on some of my Baking  Adventures.