Barbara's Ottilienkuchen

 

 

A traditional German cake made from the wonderfully rich combination of rum and dark chocolate.

 

Ingredients

• Melted butter, to grease
• Dried packaged breadcrumbs, to coat
• 250g butter, at room temperature
• 215g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
• 4 eggs
• 200g (1 1/3 cups) plain flour
• 50g (1/3 cup) wheaten cornflour, sifted
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 x 100g pkt almond meal
• 75g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Ganache

• 100g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 60ml (1/4 cup) thickened cream

Method

1. Step 1
   Preheat oven to 175°C. Brush a 22cm kugelhopf pan with melted butter to grease. Add breadcrumbs and turn to coat the inside of pan. Shake out excess breadcrumbs.
2. Step 2
   Use an electric beater to beat together the butter, caster sugar and vanilla sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until just combined. Gradually add the flour, cornflour, salt and baking powder and beat until combined. Add the rum and beat to combine. Fold in the almond meal and chocolate until just combined.
3. Step 3
   Spoon mixture into the pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Step 4
   To make the ganache, place the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water). Stir for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts. Set aside to cool slightly.
5. Step 5
   Pour ganache over cake and cut into wedges to serve.