Fig and Brazil nut chocolate mud cake recipe
If you don't have a bundt tin, you can bake this in a standard tin, you may just need to adjust the cooking times slightly – a loaf tin may take slightly longer but a larger, shallower tin needs less time. The ganache is bitter and smooth, and the fresh figs look like regal gems sitting on top. Chop and change the nuts and dried fruit – date and macadamia nuts are good too.
Ingredients
For the cake- 150 g unsalted butter, plus extra melted for greasing (optional)
- 150 g dark chocolate chips or chunks or dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), chopped
- 150 g dark soft brown sugar
- 4 tbsp golden syrup
- 2 eggs
- 100 ml hot whole milk
- 2 tsp good-quality instant coffee
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 100 g dried figs, chopped
- 100 g Brazil nuts, chopped, plus a handful to decorate
- 3 fresh figs, quartered
- 200 ml double (heavy) cream
- 150 g dark chocolate chips or chunks or dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), chopped
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Cake
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 50 mins
- Serves: 8
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C/350°F/gas mark 4) and grease a 23 x 8cm (9 x 3inch) rounded bundt tin with melted butter or line a 23cm (9inch) round cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- Melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over a low heat. Do not overheat as it will split. Remove from the heat when nearly melted and stir until glossy.
- Mix in the sugar and golden syrup, then – as long as the mixture isn't too hot – beat in the eggs.
- Mix the hot milk, instant coffee powder and cocoa together in a jug and then mix into the melted chocolate mixture. Add the flour and salt and mix well until combined. Stir in the chopped figs and nuts.
- Pour into the prepared tin and level out. Bake for 30–40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out on to a wire rack – you may need to give the bottom of the bundt tin a whack!
- To make the ganache, pour the cream into a saucepan and heat over a low-medium heat until bubbling.
- Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and leave for 5 minutes, then stir until glossy. Leave to cool to a thick pouring consistency.
- Use a chopstick or skewer to make some holes in the cooled cake and then over the ganache so it seeps into the holes and drips all over the sides. Top with the fresh figs and scattered nuts.
This recipe is from Happy Cooking by Candice Brown (Ebury Press, £22). Photography by Ellis Parrinder.
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