Italian Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
| 1 Madeira cake, 23 cm/9 m long and 8 cm/3 in wide | ||
| Cottage cheese ricotta | 500 Gram | |
| Double cream | 2 Tablespoon | |
| 50 g/2 oz sugar | ||
| 2 1/2 Tbsp orange-flavoured liqueur | ||
| Fruit | 2 Tablespoon, candied | |
| Pistachio nuts | 1 Tablespoon, chopped | |
| 50 g/2 oz dark cooking chocolate, grated | ||
| Chocolate Icing | ||
| 375 g/12 oz dark cooking chocolate, broken into small pieces | ||
| 175 ml/6 fl oz black coffee | ||
| 250 g/8 oz unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled | ||
Directions
Cut the cake lengthways into 1 cm/1/2 in slices.
Press the ricotta through a sieve into a mixing bowl.
Beat until it is smooth, then beat in the cream, sugar and liqueur.
Fold in the candied fruit, nuts and grated chocolate.
Place one slice of cake on a flat plate and spread with one-third of the ricotta mixture.
Place another slice of cake on top and spread with another third of the ricotta mixture.
Make another layer in this way and finish with the last slice of cake.
Gently press the loaf together.
Wrap the cake in foil and chill for 3 hours.
Melt the chocolate with the coffee in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water.
Remove from the heat and beat in the butter, a piece at a time.
Continue beating until the mixture is smooth, then allow to cool until the icing is thick enough to spread.
Cover the top and sides of the cake with the icing, reserving a little for decoration.
Pipe the reserved icing on top in swirls.
Chill the cake for at least 12 hours before serving.
Press the ricotta through a sieve into a mixing bowl.
Beat until it is smooth, then beat in the cream, sugar and liqueur.
Fold in the candied fruit, nuts and grated chocolate.
Place one slice of cake on a flat plate and spread with one-third of the ricotta mixture.
Place another slice of cake on top and spread with another third of the ricotta mixture.
Make another layer in this way and finish with the last slice of cake.
Gently press the loaf together.
Wrap the cake in foil and chill for 3 hours.
Melt the chocolate with the coffee in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water.
Remove from the heat and beat in the butter, a piece at a time.
Continue beating until the mixture is smooth, then allow to cool until the icing is thick enough to spread.
Cover the top and sides of the cake with the icing, reserving a little for decoration.
Pipe the reserved icing on top in swirls.
Chill the cake for at least 12 hours before serving.
Chef
