William Meppem
A slug of whisky adds grown-up flavour to this showstopper of a cake. It’s an excellent special-occasion cake – not only because of its looks, but also because you can prepare it in advance. Top it with whatever chocolatey garnishes take your fancy. We’ve opted for shards of chocolate-coated honeycomb, chocolate wafer balls and chocolate curls for a mix of textures.
Ingredients
Whipped milk chocolate ganache
Method
1.Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter three 21cm-diameter springform cake tins and line them with baking paper. Combine chocolates and butter in a heatproof bowl and melt over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Combine dry ingredients and 2½ tsp sea salt flakes in a bowl, then add chocolate mixture, milk and eggs and whisk until smooth. Divide evenly among prepared tins and bake until a skewer inserted withdraws clean (25-30 minutes). Cool in tins for 15 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
2.For ganache, bring cream and half the whisky to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Place chocolate in a large bowl, pour hot cream mixture over, stand for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk yolks and remaining whisky in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until thick and pale (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate mixture, then transfer to an electric mixer and whisk until thick and cooled to room temperature (8-10 minutes). Refrigerate mixture, whisking occasionally, until thick but spreadable (30-40 minutes).
3.Trim the top of each cake flat. Place one cake on a cake stand or serving plate, brush with a little whisky, spread with one-fifth of whipped ganache, then top with another cake. Continue layering, finishing with a layer of ganache, then spread remaining ganache around the sides with a palette knife to neaten. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set.
4.Dust cake with cocoa, top with chocolate curls, chocolate wafer balls, crushed chocolate-coated honeycomb and a little extra sea salt and serve.
