Chocolate & Raspberry Macaron Cake

You’re wondering about the name, aren’t you?

Macaron cake? It doesn’t look much like a macaron…

Well no, it doesn’t, but that wasn’t really the point…

I could have decorated the cake with macarons, but I’ve seen that done too many times before. Granted, what I did do was not particularly imaginative… but it looks pretty, and simply highlights the flavours of the cake.

So where does the macaron come into things?

 

Well, basically, I baked two huge macarons and sandwiched a few layers of chocolate cake and buttercream between them… and around them… and then smothered the whole thing in more buttrcream… et voilà, a macaron cake!

My favourites for this bake…

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Chocolate & Raspberry Macaron Cake

Yield: one 6″ six layer cake

Macaron Cake

Ingredients

135g (1 cup + 2 Tbsp) icing sugar
150g (1 1/2 cups) almond meal
3 medium egg whites
30g (2 Tbsp)caster sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C/325° F/Gas Mark 3, and prepare a 6″ (15cm) springform cake tin, greasing the sides and lining the base with baking paper.

Sift the icing sugar and almond meal into a bowl to break up the clumps. Larger pieces of almond are fine as the macaron doesn’t have to look pretty, but feel free to discard if you prefer.

Beat the egg whites until they start to foam, then gradually add the sugar and beat until you have stiff peaks. Fold the beaten egg whites into the almond and sugar mixture.

Divide the macaron batter into two and bake each layer in a six inch tin for 15 – 18 minutes.

 

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Ingredients

135g plain flour
160g + 40g caster sugar
12g baking powder
45g cocoa powder
3 large eggs (separated)
120ml rice bran oil
80ml weak coffee
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C/350° F/Gas Mark 4, and prepare your six inch cake tin.

Combine flour, 160g sugar, baking powder and cocoa. Set aside.

Whisk together egg yolks, oil, coffee and vinegar.

Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture, and beat in the wet mixture.

Beat the egg whites until they start to foam, then add in the cream of tartar and the additional 40g sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.

Fold the egg whites into the cake batter.

Divide batter in two and bake each layer for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Curls

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate
100g milk chocolate

You really don’t need this much chocolate, but it’s easier to make the chocolate curls with a good amount of surface area. I made about 20g of chocolate curls, then remelted the remaining chocolate for the icing and filling recipes below.

Method

Melt the chocolate either over a double boiler, or very gently in the microwave, then immediately spread over a piece of parchment paper.

Place in the refrigerator to set, then remove and let stand for a few minutes before making the curls.

Hold a knife at around a 45 degree angle to the chocolate, then run it across the chocolate so that it begins to curl.

Tip: If the curls are brittle and breaking your chocolate is too cold – leave to rest a few minutes more. If the chocolate isn’t curling it is likely too warm – place it back in the refrigerator to set.

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients

75g dark chocolate
75g milk chocolate
(or use 150g of leftover chocolate from the curls)
40g plain flour
240ml whole milk
235g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter

Method

Whisk together the milk and flour until there are no lumps remaining, then heat gently in a saucepan, stirring as it thickens.

Once the mixture has thickened continue to stir it over the heat for a minute or so, then turn off the heat and set aside to cool completely.

Beat butter until smooth, then add in the caster sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

Add in the cooled cooked flour mixture and beat until sugar has dissolved.

Set aside 55g of buttercream before adding the chocolate.

Gently melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, then set aside to cool. Beat the melted chocolate into your buttercream a little at a time.

Raspberry Cream Filling

Ingredients

130g fresh raspberries
35g caster sugar
55g plain buttercream (from above)
100g double cream

Method

Place the raspberries and sugar into a saucepan and heat gently until thickened. Set aside to cool completely.

Beat the cream until stiff peaks form, then fold in the raspberry mixture and the buttercream.

Choc-Raspberry Cream Filling

Ingredients

15g dark chocolate
15g milk chocolate
(or use 30g of leftover chocolate from the curls)
60g cream
100g raspberry cream filling from above

Method

Melt the chocolate, then set aside to cool.

Beat the cream until it starts to stiffen, then add in the chocolate.

Fold the 100g of raspberry cream filling into the chocolate cream.

Assembling the Macaron Cake

Slice the chocolate cakes in half lengthways using a cake cutting wire if you have one, and level off the top layers if needed.

Place one slice onto your cake stand or base and smother a thin layer of the chocolate raspberry filling over the top.

Place one of the macaron layers on top, then smother this in a thin layer of the chocolate raspberry filling and top with one of the chocolate cake layers.

Take the raspberry filling and spread a thick layer over the chocolate cake – use as much as you dare, you won’t be needing this filling again!

Repeat the process with the remaining layers – chocolate cake, chocolate raspberry filling, macaron cake, chocolate raspberry filling and chocolate cake. Refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes.

Crumb coat your cake with a thin layer of the chocolate buttercream, then refrigerate again for 20 – 30 minutes.

Finally, frost your cake generously with the remaining buttercream and decorate as you please.

For this cake I used a large open star tip for the piping and added a touch of pink food colouring to the chocolate buttercream, then topped the cake with halved fresh raspberries and chocolate curls.

 

Enjoy… x