It was Mr Man’s big three-o a few weeks ago. We went out for dinner, had drinks with friends, celebrated with family and I, of course, made him a cake (actually, I made him two cakes, but this was the main cake, the on-the-birthday-day cake).
I really enjoy making custom layer cakes and decorating them for clients, but my favourite part about having a family occasion or making a cake for a loved one is that I really get to play with textures, layers and flavours.
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you will be well aware that Mr Man’s checklist of favourite elements in baked goods are chocolate, caramel and a biscuit-y crunch.
So his birthday cake had to have those three. I started with a hazelnut dacquoise, which is a chewy, baked nut meringue. Then I added a layer of chocolate hazelnut crunch to tick a couple of Mr Man’s boxes.
The majority of the gateau is a thick layer of caramel brûlée which is smooth, silky and has a rich, custard and almost burnt-caramel flavour. That got slathered in a milk chocolate glaze, because heck, who doesn’t like shiny chocolate dripping down their cake?
The top of the gateau got decorated in one of Mr Man’s favourite treats – honeycomb! And I threw some raspberries in there to cut through all that rich sweetness of chocolate and caramel.
I made this small, and I think it’s the perfect little cake to celebrate a big birthday. X
- HAZELNUT DACQUOISE
- 2 egg whites
- 40g caster (superfine) sugar
- 40g hazelnut meal
- 12g plain flour
- CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CRUNCH
- 50g milk chocolate
- 70g Nutella
- 75g blanched hazelnuts, roasted and finely chopped
- CARAMEL BRÛLÉE
- 500g heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean
- 88g caster (superfine) sugar
- 120g egg yolk
- 2.5 sheets of gold strength gelatin
- CHOCOLATE GLAZE
- 50g milk chocolate
- 50g heavy cream
- 1 tbsp glucose
- HONEYCOMB
- 100g caster (superfine) sugar
- 35g glucose
- 20g honey
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp water
- 1½ tsp bicarb soda, sifted
- DECORATION
- 1 punnet raspberries
- HAZELNUT DACQUOISE
- Preheat the oven to 160 C (325 F). Trace a ring around a 7 inch cake pan onto a piece of baking paper. Turn it upside down and place it on a baking tray.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until they turn white and begin to hold their shape. Slowly rain in the sugar while continuously whipping. Once the sugar is all in, turn up the speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the hazelnut meal and flour until just combined.
- Dollop all the mixture into the centre of your baking paper circle and use an offset spatula to spread it around into an even round.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely and then put the whole tray in the freezer.
- CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CRUNCH
- Place a 7 inch cake ring on a tray lined with baking paper. Line the inside of the cake ring with a strip of acetate.
- Remove the hazelnut dacquoise from the freezer and peel off the baking paper. Place it into the base of your cake ring.
- In a small heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate and Nutella until smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the hazelnuts.
- Spread this mixture in an even layer on top of the dacquoise. Place the tray in the freezer.
- CARAMEL BRÛLÉE
- Bloom the gelatin. Place the gelatin into a bowl of cold water and set aside.
- In a small pot, heat the cream with the seeds from the vanilla pod until just under boiling. Take off the heat and set aside to infuse.
- In a medium pot, heat the sugar over a medium heat until it is a deep amber colour. Turn off the heat and pour in the cream, whisking constantly until combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk the yolks until fluffy. Pour in the caramel cream in a steady stream while whisking constantly.
- Return the mixture to the pot and place back over a low heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 82 C (180 F). Remove from the heat.
- Squeeze the excess water out of the gelatin sheets and whisk the gelatin into the caramel brûlée mixture. Allow the mixture to cool until it reaches room temperature.
- Pour the brûlée over the chocolate hazelnut crunch layer. Return the tray to the freezer, at least overnight.
- CHOCOLATE GLAZE
- Remove the cake from the cake ring and peel off the acetate. Place on a plate and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours, to defrost.
- In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate, cream and glucose until smooth and shiny. Allow this to cool to room temperature.
- Pour over the top of the cake, allowing some glaze to drip down the sides. Return to the fridge.
- HONEYCOMB
- Line a cake tin with baking paper and set aside.
- Heat the sugar, glucose, honey and water in a medium pot until it reaches a pale amber colour, or 135 C (275 F) on a candy thermometer.
- Working quickly, remove from the heat, whisk in the bicarb soda and pour into the cake tin.
- Set the honeycomb aside to cool. Once it has completely hardened, use immediately or place in an airtight container.
- DECORATION
- Remove the cake from the fridge and top with chopped honeycomb and raspberries. Honeycomb will go tacky at room temperature and will melt completely if left in the fridge, so do this immediately before serving.
- Serves 8 - 10.
- Happy baking!
Dacquoise adapted from Daring Bakers via My Sweet Den.
Caramel Brûlée adapted from William Angliss.
Honeycomb adapted from Justin Gellatly.