Italian meringue, chocolate and chestnut cake

This cake is based on one we watched James Martin make on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen programme before Christmas.  I decided to make it for our annual Christmas girls’ night, as it’s quite complicated and needed a special occasion!  It’s the first time I’ve tried making Italian meringue, which involves making a sugar syrup and pouring it into whisked egg whites – this ‘cooks’ the egg and you then use it to ice the cake, which is finished off by blow-torching!  The cake recipe here is for my new favourite chocolate fudge cake, rather than the James Martin recipe.

Ingredients

8 oz unsalted butter

8 oz dark chocolate

1 tbsp instant coffee granules

1 lb caster sugar

5 fl oz water

4 eggs

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 fl oz sour cream

4 oz self-raising flour

4 oz plain flour

2 oz cocoa powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the chestnut mousse

9 oz mascarpone

8 oz sweetened chestnut purée

10 fl oz double cream

For the Italian meringue

8 oz caster sugar

3 ½ fl oz water

4 egg whites

To assemble

6 tbsp brandy

3 large meringue nests, crumbled

Blueberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease and line a 9 inch round cake tin.
2. Melt the butter, chocolate, coffee, sugar and water in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Once melted, set aside to cool.
3. In a jug, beat together the eggs, oil and sour cream.
4. Once the chocolate mixture is lukewarm, add the egg mixture a tablespoonful at a time, stirring well after each addition until completely combined.
5. Sift all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into well and mix until thoroughly combined.
7. Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
8. To make the chestnut mousse, place the mascarpone and chestnut purée into a small processor and blend until smooth.
9. Whip the double cream until soft peaks form then fold in the chestnut mixture until just combined.
10. For the Italian meringue, place the sugar and water into a pan and slowly bring to the boil until the syrup reaches 110°C/ 230°F on a sugar thermometer.
11. At this stage, whisk the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer until firm peaks form when the whisk is removed.
12. Continue heating the sugar syrup and as soon as it reaches 121°C/ 250°F remove the pan from the heat.
13. Immediately resume whisking the egg whites with the beater at its lowest speed then pour in the sugar syrup in a steady stream. (Ensure the syrup is clear of the beaters to prevent it splashing on your hands.)
14. Continue beating for about five minutes or until the meringue is tepid.
15. To assemble, cut the chocolate cake horizontally into four pieces, placing the bottom piece onto the serving plate.
16. Spoon over 2 tbsp of the brandy then spread over a third of the chestnut mousse.  Crumble one of the meringue nests over the top.
17. Repeat these layers, finishing with a layer of cake.
18. Spread the Italian meringue over the sides and top of the sponge stack, forking the meringue to make little peaks.
19. Using a blow torch, glaze the meringue until just golden-brown and decorate with blueberries.