The definition of show-stopper. This Baci® Celebration Cake features decadent layers of chocolate ganache, hazelnut cake and chocolate fudge frosting. Guaranteed to impress at your next soiree. 

Ingredients

Chocolate Ganache
600g Callebaut dark chocolate (finely chopped)
2 cups double cream
200g Lurpak Unsalted butter

Hazelnut Cake
8 eggs, separated
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup self raising flour
150g ground hazelnuts
40g Lurpak Unsalted butter
4 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 teaspoon Heilala Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
170g Callebaut dark chocolate, melted
230g Lurpak Unsalted butter
1/4 cup Callebaut Cocoa Powder
3 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon Heilala Vanilla Extract
80ml Frangelico liquer or pure cream
Milk, if required to soften the frosting

To decorate
1 x 125g bag Baci® Perugina®, cut in half
1 x 125g bag Baci® Perugina®, chopped into small pieces

Instructions

Firstly, make the chocolate ganache. Place chopped chocolate into a large heatproof bowl.
In a medium saucepan, combine cream and butter. Cook on medium, stirring often, until just simmering. Pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir gently until completely smooth. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the chocolate. Allow to rest and thicken.

Secondly, make the hazelnut cake. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease 3 x 18cm round cake tins and line the bases with baking paper. Beat the egg whites in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar, beating until thick and glossy. Beat the egg yolks into the mixture, one at a time. Mix through the vanilla extract. Sift the flour over the mixture. Add the ground hazelnuts and fold in with a spatula. Melt butter and boiling water together and fold into the mixture. Separate mixture evenly into the 3 cake tins. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly brown and cooked through. Leave in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Thirdly, make the chocolate fudge frosting. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Stir until the chocolate is melted and completely smooth. Set aside to cool. Cut the butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, whip butter for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Beat until the butter looks light in colour. Add the cocoa powder to the butter and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Alternate adding 1 cup of icing sugar at a time with the liquid ingredients (vanilla and Frangelico). Ensure the icing sugar is well combined before adding more sugar. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat on slow speed until incorporated. Then, increase speed to medium high and beat for another 2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick for piping add a little milk for a perfect consistency.

Lastly, assemble the cake. Remove the plastic wrap from the chocolate glaze and beat for one minute. Place one layer of cake onto a cake stand. Top with a layer of chocolate glaze, spreading evenly. Insert your favourite piping nozzle into a piping bag. Fill the piping bag with the chocolate fudge icing. Pipe the icing around the outer edges of the cake layer, inserting a Baci® Perugina® chocolate half between each pipe. Pipe some additional frosting in the centre of the cake layer and sprinkle with chopped Baci® Perugina® chocolates. Add the second cake layer, push down slightly and repeat the process. Repeat this with the third cake layer.

Recipe by: Sydney Food Sisters