Chocolate, hazelnut & pear cake

You can do this two ways (and probably more), this version is husband’s favourite, I suspect.  

150g sugar

150g butter

1tspn vanilla

3 eggs

200g ground hazelnuts

100g sr flour 

30g cocoa

Beat the sugar & butter together until pale & fluffy

Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well between each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. 

Fold in the flour, cocoa and hazelnuts and mix until smooth. 

Line a tin with baking parchment (or use a liner that fits the Remoska). Add the batter, smooth the top.  

Decorate with tinned pears, adding teaspoons of chocolate spread between the pears.  

Bake at 180c for 40 minutes or Remoska temp (180c) for 40 minutes, covering as needed.  Test and bake +5 mins until probe is clean.    Lift out, cool on a rack and enjoy.  

The other way is to use ground almonds, skip the cocoa & pears, add a teaspoon of good almond essence, decorate with fresh apricots and sprinkle liberally with flaked almonds. 

 

Chocolate Lemon Brioche Bundt

Chocolate Lemon Brioche Bundt

This isn’t brioche (it doesn’t have nearly enough butter).  It is, however,  a sweet brioche-like bread, great for breakfast with coffee, or for afternoon tea. 

250g bread flour

1tspn salt

30g sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

50g crystallised lemon peel

10g (1/2 a supermarket cube) fresh yeast (or 1tspn dried yeast) mixed with 1tspn sugar & a little milk

75g chocolate chips

150ml milk, warmed (hand hot) with 1 tablespoon melted butter. 

Put the dry ingredients, including flavourings, in the mixer bowl.  Add the liquids.  Knead for 12 minutes using the dough hook.  Put in an oiled bowl and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly.  

Push into a rectangle, sprinkle with 75g chocolate chips and roll into a sausage.  Oil the bundt tin very thoroughly.  Gently twist your sausage and lift it into the oiled tin.  Leave in a warm place to rise until it fills the tin.  Then bake in a hot oven (350c) for thirty to thirty five minutes.  Take out and leave for ten minutes before turning out and cooling.  

If using a sourdough starter (as I did), use 1 cup mixed with 5g fresh yeast (to get a fast, vigorous rise) and reduce the liquid very slightly.  

Two Cakes from One Pot of Deliciousness

These two recipes began with one 500g pot of Creme de Marrons...

Gâteau Ardéchois

This is NOT a low sugar recipe. Creme de marrons is in itself very high in sugar, which is why the recipe doesn't have a lot of added sugar.

 

2 eggs

20g caster sugar

80g very soft butter

380g sweetened chestnut purée

100g self-raising flour

Whisk the sugar and eggs together until thickened.  Add and whisk the butter. Add the purée and whisk until thick and smooth. Then fold in the flour until completely combined.  Put the mixture into a lined 20cm cake tin.  Bake at 180c for 30 minutes. As this adventure had itself begun with some chestnut honey, I powdered with icing sugar and then drizzled honey over the top, very sparingly.

 

I then had 120g of  creme de marrons left;afte r it had sat in the fridge for a week or so I needed to use it up.  

 This next recipe I decided to name in honour of Marc & Amy of Chateau de Rosières en Vivarais, whose mammoth endeavours in restoring their home leave me quite speechless. Follow their YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/@TheGreatChateauRestoration Instagram @chateaurosieres

Gâteau de Rosières en Vivarais

This recipe is a tweak of a lovely chocolatey recipe I've used before. The essential charm of this recipe is the melted chocolate/cocoa/butter base (which I also strongly recommend as a brownie base). 

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter

150g plain chocolate

 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa 

120g crème de marrons

3 eggs

100g cristal sugar

40g viergoise sugar

75g farine à gâteau

 

Preheat your oven to 180c.  Prepare a 20cm tin by lining with greased parchment or inserting a parchment baking liner.

Method

Melt together in a pan

125g unsalted butter

150g plain chocolate

 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa 

100g crème de marrons

Using a stand mixer (whisk attachment), beat together 

3 eggs

100g cristal sugar

40g viergoise sugar

Keep whisking fast until light and creamy. It will take on the texture of whipped cream. 

Whisk the chocolate mixture into the sugar &eggs - it will become thick and mousse like.  

Carefully fold in 75g Farine à gâteau, mixing gently until smooth. 

Spread into a prepared 20cm lined cake tin. Bake at 180c 25mins.  Remove when a skewer comes out almost clean.  This is a moist, dense cake which most resembles a French Moelleux (a sticky centred dessert cake).  Leave on a rack until cool.  Decorate the top with sifted icing sugar. 

 

 

I used 80% cocoa solids chocolate, but anything 70% upwards is perfect.  

For UK ingredients use caster sugar, Demerara sugar, and self raising flour.  There is no substitute for crème de marrons, which you may find in a high end supermarket.