Sunday spoil: Chocolate macaroon cake

You’ll need: For the cake – 227g Kerrygold Original Irish Salted Butter, melted and cooled (extra for cake tin); 25g cocoa powder, extra for cake tin; 140g skin-on almonds, substitute with any nut; 280g dark chocolate, chopped; 25g desiccated coconut; 6 large eggs, room temperature; 115g granulated sugar; 90g demerara sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the ganache – 150g dark chocolate, chopped; 120ml coconut milk

For the assembly – 90g coconut flakes, lightly toasted; 50g sliced almonds, lightly toasted

How to:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Lightly brush a 22cm cake tin with melted butter. Line the bottom with a round of baking paper. Dust the sides of the cake tine with extra cocoa powder, and tap out excess.

Toast the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet until fragrant for approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Allow time to cool.

Heat the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (don’t allow the bowl to touch the water), stir often until the mixture is smooth, and remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Add desiccated coconut and cocoa powder to the almond mixture.

Whisk all 6 eggs in a large mixing bowl, add both sugars and vanilla, and beat until the mixture is pale for approximately 2 minutes. Gradually add the chocolate mixture. Beat to incorporate, then fold into the almond mixture making sure to scrape the bottom and sides. Pour batter into the prepared cake tin.

Bake until firm to the touch and a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean – approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and allow it to cool for 30 minutes in the pan. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and invert it onto the rack. Allow cooling completely.

For the ganache:

Place chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. Do not allow it to come to a rapid boil. Pour over the chocolate, then allow it to sit for 2 to 3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate.

Very slowly stir until completely combined and the chocolate has melted. The finer you chop the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream. Place the ganache in the fridge to firm for up to 30 minutes.

Now spoon the thickened ganache over the top of the cooled cake and decorate with coconut flakes and sliced almonds.

* Recipe by Landi Govender (@thetockablog). Sourced via Kerrygold.