Cassis Cake

Cassis Cake – chocolate cake with blackcurrant cream and meringue. Cassis cake is a truly delicious layered dessert made of soft chocolate sponge, filled with blackcurrant cream and blackcurrants in jelly, and topped with a crisp chocolate meringue. Intensely fruity and refreshing, it’s a wonderful summer cake for family and friends – though it can just as easily be made in winter using frozen blackcurrants. A real treat!

Note: the blackcurrants in jelly can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Ingredients for the chocolate cake:

• 130 g plain flour
• 40 g cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 125 ml buttermilk or kefir
• 125 ml brewed coffee
• 60 ml vegetable oil (rapeseed or sunflower)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 180 g light brown sugar

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

In a bowl, lightly whisk together the buttermilk, coffee, oil, egg, vanilla and sugar (do not beat). Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix just until combined.

Line a 23 × 33 cm tin with baking paper and pour in the batter (it will be quite thin).

Bake at 160°C for 20–25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.

Ingredients for the chocolate meringue:

• 4 egg whites (160 g), at room temperature
• a pinch of salt
• 200 g caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons potato starch (or cornflour)
• 60 g dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

Whip the egg whites until foamy, add salt and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, spoonful by spoonful, until a thick, glossy meringue forms. At the end, add the starch and beat briefly. Fold in the melted chocolate very gently to create streaks (just 1–2 folds). Spread the meringue onto a lined 23 × 33 cm tin.

Bake at 140°C for about 1 hour, until crisp and lightly cracked. Cool completely.

Ingredients for blackcurrants in jelly:

• 400 g blackcurrants (fresh or frozen), divided into 250 g + 150 g
• 5 g powdered gelatine (1½ teaspoons)
• 110 g sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon potato starch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

Bloom the gelatine in a little cold water for 10 minutes.

Heat 250 g blackcurrants with sugar until dissolved. Add lemon juice, bring to a boil, then strain through a sieve. Return to the saucepan, add remaining currants (150 g) and bring to the boil again. Stir in the starch mixture, bring to the boil; then remove from heat and add the gelatine, mixing until dissolved. Cool slightly, then refrigerate until thickened.

Ingredients for blackcurrant cream:

• 500 g mascarpone, chilled
• half of the blackcurrants in jelly
• 200 ml double cream, chilled

Mix mascarpone with half of the blackcurrants in jelly until smooth. Whip the cream separately and gently fold it in.

Place the chocolate cake layer back into the tin. Spread over the remaining blackcurrants in jelly and chill briefly until set. Spread the blackcurrant cream on top and level it. Place the chocolate meringue layer on top. Refrigerate for about 3 hours before serving.

Store the cassis cake in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!