We ordered Ottolenghis and sami tamimis new Book “Jerusalem” for my mother in law. When it arrived I was tempted to keep it for myself but instead I had at quick try before wrapping it up. The Chocolate Yeast Kranz just looked to tempting. It turned out a bit too dark but I liked it a lot. Nothing over fancy but perfect for an afternoon in the garden. I love the hint of zest that comes through in this cake. It’s quite different from the cakes I usually make.
It’s not a quick thing tough, the dough has to be made the day in advance. But it’s really worth a try.
Makes two loafes.
You’ll need:
530 gr plain flour
100 gr caster sugar
2 tbs dried yeast
grated zest ob one little lemon
3 large free range eggs
sunflower oil for greasing
1/3 tsp salt
For the filling:
50 gr icing sugar
30 gr best quality cocoa powder
130 gr good qualitiy dark chocolate
120 gr unsalted butter, melted
100 gr pecans, roughly chopped
2 tbsp caster sugar
For the syrup
260 gr sugar
160 ml water
For the dough:
Mix flour, sugar, yeas and zest in the mixer bowl of your food processor. This is easily done with the dough hook on lowest speed. Add eggs and and water on let it go on at this speed for a few seconds. Then increase the speed to medium and continue for 3 minutes or until the dough comes together. Now it’s time to add the salt and start adding the butter bits by bits until they are fully incorporated into the dough.
Continues mixing for another 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and shiny.
Place the dough in a large town, brush with sunflower oil , cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.
Grease two 25ch x 10 cm tins with some sunflower oil and line the bottom with grease proof paper. Divide the dough into two.
For the filling:
Mix icing sugar, cocoa powder, melted chocolate and butter. You will get a spreadable paste.
On a slightly floured surface: Roll the dough into a 38cm x 28 cm rectangle, trim on the sides. Lay it in front of you with the short side close to you.
Spread half the chocolate mixture over the rectangle, leaving a 2 cm border on all sides.
Sprinkle half the pecans and the caster sugar on top of the chocolate. Brush a bit of water over the long end ( the one where you are going to finish).
Now use both hands to roll the dough from the long side the one without water to the side where you brushed the water on. Press to seal the end.
Try to make a even thick, straight roll and turn it so it sits on the seam.
Trim of 1 centimeter of the ends. Now carefully cut the roll lengthwise into 2.
With the cut side facing up gently press one end of of each half and then lift the right half over the left half.
Repeat this process now lifting the left half over the right and continue like this thill you have something looking like a plait.
Squeeze the ends carefully together and lift the plait into the tin and cover with a towel.
Leave to rise in a warm spot for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. The dough will rise 10 – 20 percent. Now you can make the second loaf.
Preheat the oven to 190 ° making sure it is really hot before you put the cakes in. Place both cakes in middle of the oven for about 30 minutes or until a screwer inserted in the cake comes out clean of dough.
While the cakes are in the oven you can make the syrup by mixing the water and the sugar in a saucepan. Place over medium heat. As soon as the syrup boils and the and the sugar dissolves remove and leave to cool down.
When the cakes come out of the oven brush the syrup over the cakes. Even though the recipe said to really use all the syrup I found it a bit too much.
Let the cakes cool down in the tins and only remove them when they are just warm.
Since we are far away from warm spring afternoons spent in the garden preparing the vegetable beds I recommend eating this cake sitting by the window on one of the few sunny days we get these days, drinking earl gery tea and listening to some blues music dreaming of the warmer days and that will eventually come. Dreaming of swimming in the river and drinking whiskey sour (with amareno cherry!) on the balcony watching the sun set.
My musical recommendation is ” Been here all my days” a wonderful blues record out on mississippi records. Once again bought at the best of all record stores : honest jon’s
“Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, GEORGE MITCHELL recorded extensively in the South. Mitchell concentrated mainly on local blues traditions recording some famous bluesmen and many otherwise ignored artists. The George Mitchell Collection was originally released as a series of forty-five EPs on Fat Possum, this LP contains Mississipi’s favorite fourteen tracks.”
We ordered Ottolenghis and sami tamimis new Book “Jerusalem” for my mother in law. When it arrived I was tempted to keep it for myself but instead I had at quick try before wrapping it up. The Chocolate Yeast Kranz just looked to tempting. It turned out a bit too dark but I liked it a lot. Nothing over fancy but perfect for an afternoon in the garden. I love the hint of zest that comes through in this cake. It’s quite different from the cakes I usually make.
It’s not a quick thing tough, the dough has to be made the day in advance. But it’s really worth a try.
Makes two loafes.
You’ll need:
For the dough:
Mix flour, sugar, yeas and zest in the mixer bowl of your food processor. This is easily done with the dough hook on lowest speed. Add eggs and and water on let it go on at this speed for a few seconds. Then increase the speed to medium and continue for 3 minutes or until the dough comes together. Now it’s time to add the salt and start adding the butter bits by bits until they are fully incorporated into the dough.
Continues mixing for another 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and shiny.
Place the dough in a large town, brush with sunflower oil , cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.
Grease two 25ch x 10 cm tins with some sunflower oil and line the bottom with grease proof paper. Divide the dough into two.
For the filling:
Mix icing sugar, cocoa powder, melted chocolate and butter. You will get a spreadable paste.
On a slightly floured surface: Roll the dough into a 38cm x 28 cm rectangle, trim on the sides. Lay it in front of you with the short side close to you.
Spread half the chocolate mixture over the rectangle, leaving a 2 cm border on all sides.
Sprinkle half the pecans and the caster sugar on top of the chocolate. Brush a bit of water over the long end ( the one where you are going to finish).
Now use both hands to roll the dough from the long side the one without water to the side where you brushed the water on. Press to seal the end.
Try to make a even thick, straight roll and turn it so it sits on the seam.
Trim of 1 centimeter of the ends. Now carefully cut the roll lengthwise into 2.
With the cut side facing up gently press one end of of each half and then lift the right half over the left half.
Repeat this process now lifting the left half over the right and continue like this thill you have something looking like a plait.
Squeeze the ends carefully together and lift the plait into the tin and cover with a towel.
Leave to rise in a warm spot for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. The dough will rise 10 – 20 percent. Now you can make the second loaf.
Preheat the oven to 190 ° making sure it is really hot before you put the cakes in. Place both cakes in middle of the oven for about 30 minutes or until a screwer inserted in the cake comes out clean of dough.
While the cakes are in the oven you can make the syrup by mixing the water and the sugar in a saucepan. Place over medium heat. As soon as the syrup boils and the and the sugar dissolves remove and leave to cool down.
When the cakes come out of the oven brush the syrup over the cakes. Even though the recipe said to really use all the syrup I found it a bit too much.
Let the cakes cool down in the tins and only remove them when they are just warm.
Since we are far away from warm spring afternoons spent in the garden preparing the vegetable beds I recommend eating this cake sitting by the window on one of the few sunny days we get these days, drinking earl gery tea and listening to some blues music dreaming of the warmer days and that will eventually come. Dreaming of swimming in the river and drinking whiskey sour (with amareno cherry!) on the balcony watching the sun set.
My musical recommendation is ” Been here all my days” a wonderful blues record out on mississippi records. Once again bought at the best of all record stores : honest jon’s
“Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, GEORGE MITCHELL recorded extensively in the South. Mitchell concentrated mainly on local blues traditions recording some famous bluesmen and many otherwise ignored artists. The George Mitchell Collection was originally released as a series of forty-five EPs on Fat Possum, this LP contains Mississipi’s favorite fourteen tracks.”