CITRUS GINGER CAKE WITH HONEY CHOCOLATE FROSTING
CITRUS GINGER CAKE WITH HONEY CHOCOLATE FROSTING
serves 8-10
What I really like about this cake, besides the moist, buttery crumb, is the frosting. It’s perfect if you don’t like it super sweet. As for which citrus fruits to use, it’s up to you! I used zest from 1 orange and 1 clementine but you could also use lemon, blood orange or lime. Make sure to not throw away the fruits after using the zest. Save them for the topping!
INGREDIENTS
CAKE
270 g (barely 2 cups) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
175 g (1 1/2 stick) softened butter
270 g (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla powder
3 large eggs
225 mL (barely 1 cup) sour cream
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp. finely grated citrus zest (save the fruits for the brûlée topping)
FROSTING
200 g semi sweet- or dark chocolate (50-70%)
300 g cream cheese, at room temperature
pinch of salt
4-5 tbsp. fluid honey
BRÛLÉED CITRUS
1 orange
1 clementine
handful of kumquats if desired
3 tbsp. turbinado sugar
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INSTRUCTIONS
CAKE
Preheat oven to 175°C (350f). Grease and flour a 20 cm (8 inch) cake pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla powder until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the flour mixture, sour cream, zest and ginger to the butter mixture and stir until batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 48-50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
FROSTING & ASSEMBLY
Coarsely chop the chocolate, then melt it and let it cool for a few minutes until lukewarm.
Beat the cream cheese, honey and salt until smooth, then add the melted chocolate and beat until smooth again. If the cream cheese is too cold, the mixture might harden quickly. If it does, carefully heat the mixture in a pan so a small part of the chocolate melts, then beat smooth and creamy again.
Split the cake in half so you have two layers. Place the first layer on a plate or cake stand, then spread with a layer of frosting. Put the second layer on top and cover the cake with the rest of the frosting.
BRÛLÉED CITRUS
Slice the fruit and cut away the remaining peel and pith from each slice. Pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle sugar on top and using a kitchen torch, slowly and evenly caramelize the sugar until it bubbles and browns. Let cool for a minute, then place brûleed slices on the cake. Decorate with kumquats.