Recipe: Decadent Peppermint Triple Chocolate Cake

Sticky, gooey, and oh so delicious, this cake is a chocolate lover's delight! The chocolate cake has choc chip surprises spread throughout, and the peppermint in the frosting introduces a light freshness that rounds it all out nicely.

The Ingredients

I like to use fresh, clean ingredients, including (when available) fresh duck eggs - duck eggs make greater volume when whipped and make are excellent for baking.

When I look at buying chocolate (either for cooking or just for eating), I like to buy dark chocolate that is high quality but doesn't cost the earth. Some cheap chocolate is just that - cheap - and as such it yields cheap results too. For example, cheap chocolate such as Coles brand actually uses palm or vegetable oil in the place of real cacao butter, and although it still sort of mostly looks and smells and tastes like chocolate, the end result is a "chocolate" that lacks the rich smoothness of real chocolate, and also does not actually melt like real chocolate - it burns easier if you melt it the wrong way and is more likely to turn into a paste rather than melted chocolate. Therefore I like to look at the ingredients before choosing which chocolate to buy.

For the choc chips, you can use dark, milk or white choc chips if you like, although the recipe calls for dark because that is my preference.

Decadent Peppermint Triple Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Choc chip chocolate cake:

• 4 eggs

• 150g sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 80g dark cooking chocolate

• 50g greek yoghurt

• 60g cocoa powder

• 100g flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

• 30g cornstarch

• ¾ cup dark choc chips

• 100g butter, melted

Directions:

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Set aside.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Add the yoghurt and mix together.

Sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornstarch into a medium bowl and combine with the choc chips. Fold a third of the dry ingredients including choc chips into the egg mixture and gently fold in until mostly combined. Fold in half the chocolate mixture, then alternate with the remaining dry ingredients and chocolate mixture, ending with the dry ingredients. Fold only until just combined.

Pour the melted butter into the cake batter and gently fold in until glossy and smooth.

Pour cake batter evenly into a lined 8" round springform pan. Bake at 170°C for 30 - 35 mins or until skewer comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 mins before removing the springform pan sides. Leave cake on the pan base on the wire rack until completely cool.

Choc peppermint frosting:

• 80g dark chocolate

• 30g unsalted softened butter

• small pinch of salt

• ½ tsp vanilla

• ½ tsp good quality peppermint extract

• 120g icing sugar

• 3 tsp cream

• 250mL whipping cream

Directions:

1. Gently melt chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. Set aside.

2. Mix together butter, salt, vanilla, peppermint extract, icing sugar, and 3 tsp of cream in a small bowl. Fold in the melted chocolate.

3. Whip 250mL cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form (do not over-whip).

4. Gently fold a couple tablespoons of whipped cream into the chocolate icing.

5. Pour chocolate mixture into the whipped cream and gently fold the whole mixture together until combined.

Assembly:

1. Cut the cooled cake in half horizontally. Set aside the top half.

2. Spread about half the frosting onto the bottom half of the cake. Carefully place the top half of the cake on and spread with the remaining frosting.

3. Serve and enjoy!

Cooking time: 30 - 35 mins

Serves: 12