Our malted chocolate cake with Bailey’s Cream ganache this week is by The Great British Bake-Off’s, Benjamina Ebuehi.
On a show full of impressive bakers, Benjamina Ebuehi has been one of the most impressive contestants to feature to date. Not content to churn out the usual classic recipes, she consistently won applause from the judges for her creative and innovative flavor pairings and inspiring recipes.
And now Benjamina shares her awesome original recipes in her brand new book, The New Way to Cake. While we’ve selected the Malted Chocolate Cake with Bailey’s Irish Cream Ganache to feature this week (because we’re suckers for Baileys!), this is ironically only one of the few classic flavor combinations in the book – everything else will knock your socks off in terms of newness and freshness.
So if you feel your baking repertoire could do with an injection of spice, check out The New Way to Cake here.
Malted Chocolate Cake Recipe with Bailey’s Irish Cream Ganache
Benjamina: “The flavor of malt transports me back to when I was a child and would request a hot, milky cup of Horlicks or Ovaltine before bed. I’d always sneak in extra heaped teaspoons of the powder that would end up clumped in the bottom of the mug, allowing me to savor that malty goodness. With this cake, I’ve gone straight to the source of that nostalgic flavor by using malt extract, which looks a little like a dark, treacly honey. Now that I’m older, my nightcap of choice is likely to involve a splash of Baileys, which I have incorporated into the decadent ganache—an easy-yet-impressive topping for a cake.”
Yield: 1 round 9-inch (23-cm) cake
- 13/4 cups (175 g) roughly chopped 70% dark chocolate
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 11/4 cups (250 g) superfine/caster sugar
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 6 eggs, separated
- 3 tbsp (60 g) malt extract
- 11/4 cups (155 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp (15 g) malted milk powder
- Pinch of salt
For the Ganache
- 2 cups (200 g) finely chopped 70% dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) Baileys Irish Cream
- 5 tsp (25 ml) corn syrup or golden syrup
- 1 tbsp (15 g) unsalted butter, softened
Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Grease a round 9-inch (23-cm) cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
To make the cake, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Melt the chocolate, stirring every so often. Set aside to cool slightly. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or electric whisk, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg yolks before stirring in the cooled, melted chocolate and malt extract. Fold in the flour, baking powder and malted milk powder to get a smooth, thick batter. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt for 2 to 3 minutes, or until stiff. Take one-quarter of the egg whites and stir it into the chocolate batter to loosen it up. Carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites until the batter is smooth with no streaks. Scoop the batter into the cake pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cake is taken out too early, it may sink in the middle.
To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Place the cream, Baileys and corn syrup in a small saucepan and heat until it’s just about to come to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour the cream over the chopped chocolate, stirring until the chocolate has melted. Stir in the butter until you have a smooth and glossy ganache. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the surface of the ganache. Set it aside at room temperature to thicken to a spreadable consistency. This could take up to a couple of hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Use a palette knife or offset spatula to spread a thick layer of ganache on the top and sides of the cake.
Reprinted with permission from The New Way to Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Holly Wulff Petersen.
