Chocolate cake with peanut butter cream and meringue

A wonderful layered cake, almost like a little celebration cake. A chocolate cake with peanut butter cream, flavoured with almond liqueur and salted peanuts, layered with blackcurrant jam and topped with crisp meringue. What more could you want?

Ingredients for the chocolate cake:

• 130 g plain flour
• 160 g caster sugar
• 80 g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup buttermilk or kefir
• ¼ cup rapeseed or sunflower oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup freshly brewed hot coffee (without the grounds)

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Pour the buttermilk, oil and eggs into a large bowl. Add the vanilla and sugar. Whisk with a balloon whisk until combined; do not beat. Sift the dry ingredients directly into the mixture: flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk briefly, just until combined. Slowly add the hot coffee, continuing to whisk.

Pour the batter into a 23 cm springform tin lined with baking paper.

Bake at 170°C for about 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Using a knife, trim off the domed top to level the cake.

Ingredients for the peanut butter cream:

• 250 g mascarpone
• ½ cup smooth peanut butter, without crunchy pieces
• 3 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 tbsp Amaretto liqueur
• 50 g salted peanuts, chopped

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the mascarpone in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat briefly. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined, then add the icing sugar and liqueur and mix until smooth. Add the chopped peanuts and mix through.

Ingredients for the meringue:

• 2 egg whites
• a pinch of salt
• 100 g caster sugar
• ½ tsp cornflour or potato starch
• ½ tsp lemon juice

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time (this is important!), whisking continuously until you have a stiff, glossy meringue. Add the lemon juice and whisk briefly. Sift in the potato starch and gently fold it in with a spatula.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Draw a circle on the paper that is 2 cm smaller on each side than the springform tin in which the chocolate cake was baked – the meringue will spread slightly during baking. Spread the meringue over the circle and shape it accordingly.

Place in an oven preheated to 160°C and, after 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 120°C. Bake for about 60–70 minutes. The baking time and temperature will vary depending on the oven – in any case, you want a pale meringue that is very crisp on the outside and marshmallowy in the centre. Leave to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar.

Additionally:

• ½ cup blackcurrant jam

Assembly:

Place the chocolate cake on a serving plate and spread with the blackcurrant jam. Spread the peanut butter cream over the top and smooth the surface. Place the meringue on top. Chill the cake in the fridge for 1–2 hours.

Store in the fridge. Before serving, especially the following day, it is best to take the chocolate cake with peanut butter cream out of the fridge about 30 minutes beforehand, so that the cream can soften slightly (it becomes quite firm in the fridge).

Enjoy!