Recipe of the week

Simply irresistible. This beauty is covered in luscious chocolate ganache and crowned with a halo of fresh raspberries, peanuts, marshmallows and milk chocolate. The inside of the cake is also studded with surprises. It’s so much more than just another chocolate cake.
SERVES 10

FOR THE CAKE
  • 200g whole eggs
  • 115g caster sugar
  • 2 vanilla beans, split lengthways and seeds scraped out
  • 95g plain flour
  • 20g cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 20g unsalted butter, melted
  • 30g marshmallows, chopped
  • 45g good-quality milk chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 35g roasted salted peanuts, chopped
  • 60g fresh raspberries
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
  • 200ml whipping cream
  • 250g good-quality milk chocolate
TO FINISH
  • 45g good-quality milk chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 30g marshmallows, chopped
  • 25g roasted salted peanuts, chopped
  • 60g fresh raspberries

1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan (325F) and grease an 18cm round cake tin.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed for about five minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then gradually add to the whisked egg mixture.
4. Mix a small amount of the batter into the melted butter, then fold all the butter into the batter to incorporate. Add the marshmallows, chocolate, peanuts and raspberries and gently fold them through until evenly distributed.
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely at room temperature.
6. For the chocolate ganache, heat the cream in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Put the chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream over it, then whisk until the chocolate is completely incorporated.
7. Cover with clingfilm and leave to cool at room temperature for two hours, until it thickens to a spreadable consistency. Spread the chocolate ganache on top of the cake and arrange the chopped chocolate, marshmallows, peanuts and raspberries to form a crown around the top of the cake.
8. The cake is best eaten within a few days of baking and served at room temperature. Store the undecorated cake in the fridge for up to four days. The cake can be made up to four weeks in advance and frozen. After the ganache and decoration are added, the cake can be stored for up to three days.

Chocolate All Day: Recipes for Indulgence Morning, Noon and Night, by Kirsten Tibballs - The Chocolate Queen, is published by Murdoch Books, price £22.


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