This recipe was provided by master patissier, Eric Lanlard, who will be at the 2018 Cake Bake & Sweets Show.
I’d describe this cake as a perfect winter warmer, full of earthy flavours and a spicy, nutty crunch. It’s best eaten a day after baking.
Serves 8
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus cooling and resting overnight.
Cooking time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 125g (4oz) pecan nuts
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 225g (7½oz) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 150g (5oz) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing 3 eggs
- 275g (9oz) dark muscovado sugar
- 275ml (9fl oz) water
- 3 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 250g (8oz) self-raising flour
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100g (3½oz) peeled, deseeded pumpkin
- Grated cocoa powder, for dusting
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan 150°C)/325°F/ gas mark 3.
- Grease a 23cm (9in) diameter springform cake tin and line with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the pecans and cayenne pepper together.
- Place the nuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they are golden and crunchy. Leave to cool, then roughly chop.
- Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the surface of the water does not touch the bowl.
- Beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until nice and smooth, then beat in the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the water and vanilla.
- Sift the flour and cinnamon together, then fold in until smooth.
- Fold in the pumpkin and chopped pecans.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Wrap the cake in clingfilm and store at room temperature for at least 24 hours before eating.
- Dust with cocoa powder before serving.
Recipe taken from Chocolat by Eric Lanlard, published by Octopus Books (c) photography, Kate Whitaker