Ingredients:
Chocolate orange cake-
100g butter
150g dark chocolate
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plain flour
finely grated orange zest
1 – 2 Tablespoons orange juice.
Orange blossom cream-
150 ml cream + 80ml cream extra
70ml milk
2 Tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
1 Tablespoon orange zest
2 gelatine leaves
Method:
1. Melt butter and chocolate together. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together, then add slightly cooled melted chocolate, orange zest and juice. Mix until smooth, then fold flour through. Pour batter into a greased and lined pan. Place in a water bath (you may need to wrap the bottom of your springform pan in foil to prevent leaks), ensuring that the water comes about halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake at 180C, for about an hour until the cake is set. Cool completely.
2. Heat 150ml cream, the milk, sugar and zest in a small pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for up to 10 mins until flavours combine and the dairy is cooked, set aside. Soften gelatine in cold water and mix through the hot dairy. Set aside to cool, if necessary refrigerate, but be careful because you don’t want this mixture to set just yet. Meanwhile, whip the extra 80ml of cream. When the cooked dairy mixture has cooled, strain, and then fold the whipped cream and orange blossom water into the strained mixture. Strain again, and pour into a container and refrigerate until just set. This should be wobbly and light.
3. Cut the cake in squares and scoop a generous dollop of cream on top. Serve sprinkled with pine nut praline and candied orange blossoms.
