Name: Savarins
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 90 ml lukewarm milk; 12 gm caster sugar; 7 gm dried yeast (1 sachet); 40 gm butter, melted; 1 large egg; 125 gm plain flour; Finely grated dark chocolate, to serve; Chocolate cream; 100 ml milk; ½ titanium-strength gelatine leaf, softened in cold water for 5 minutes; 125 gm dark chocolate (60%-65% cocoa solids), finely chopped; 210 ml pouring cream; Caramel soak; 200 gm caster sugar; 60 ml dark rum; 1 tsp vanilla extract

Savarins

The best thing about savarins? You can always add more rum.

Serves 6

Prep

30M

Cook

15M

Total

45M

“I like boozy cake, and the best thing about savarins is you can always add more liquor,” says Alistair Wise. “Normally this dough is difficult to handle but mixing it with your hand stops the gluten from developing, so it’s easy to pipe.”

Ingredients

90 ml lukewarm milk

12 gm caster sugar

7 gm dried yeast (1 sachet)

40 gm butter, melted

1 large egg

125 gm plain flour

Finely grated dark chocolate, to serve

Chocolate cream

100 ml milk

½ titanium-strength gelatine leaf, softened in cold water for 5 minutes

125 gm dark chocolate (60%-65% cocoa solids), finely chopped

210 ml pouring cream

Caramel soak

200 gm caster sugar

60 ml dark rum

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine milk, sugar and yeast in a bowl, stand until foamy (8-10 minutes), then mix in butter and egg. Add flour and a pinch of salt and stir with your hand until smooth. Cover and leave until doubled in size (1 hour). Place in a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle and pipe into 8cm buttered savarin moulds, cover and prove until at least doubled in size (30-45 minutes). Bake until puffed and golden brown (15 minutes). Turn out onto a rack and cool.

2.For chocolate cream, bring milk to the boil in a saucepan. Squeeze excess moisture from gelatine and stir into milk. Place chocolate in a bowl, beat in a third of the milk, then beat in remaining milk. Fold in cream and refrigerate until chilled (3-4 hours).

3.For caramel soak, stir sugar in a saucepan over high heat until dark caramel (5 minutes). Gradually add 600ml water (be careful, hot caramel will spit), then stir in rum and vanilla. Soak savarins in the warm syrup until well soaked (2-3 minutes), then remove with a slotted spoon.

4.To serve, place savarin in bowls and spoon a little syrup on top, dollop chocolate cream in the centres and grate a little chocolate on the top. Savarins are best served on the day they’re made, or will keep unsoaked for 4-5 days in an airtight container.