Google: “Aperol Spritz is an Italian wine-based cocktail, commonly served as an aperitif in Northeast Italy. It consists of prosecco, digestive bitters and soda water. Aperol is bitter orange-y taste”. Put a personal touch on your decorations that is simple, craft fun, effective and oh-so festive if you are a fan of chocolate.
Google: “Moscato d’Asti is a DOCG sparkling white wine made from the Moscato bianco grape and produced mainly in the province of Asti, northwest Italy, and in smaller nearby regions in the provinces of Alessandria and Cuneo. The wine is sweet and low in alcohol and is considered a dessert wine.”
“Moscato d’Asti DOCG is known for its aromatic bouquet with luscious, fruity notes of peach, apricot, and orange and heavenly floral scents of honeysuckle, orange blossom, and elderflower. It has a rich, bright palate with a delicate mousse and a small amount of acidity that, together with the bubbles, helps balance the sweetness. Because it’s sweet, it pairs best with bold, savory, spicy flavours. Bitter and sour also do well with Moscato d’Asti—and it’s a lovely dessert wine. It’s hard to go wrong when pairing it, and very easy to discover some fun combinations!”
I am experimenting adding dessert wine to my cake. This is totally different kind of alcohol that many people didn’t know can be made as a cake. I have to say it’s a great combination and certainly a great cake. Don’t like plain cake, want boozy cake yet not too boozy, with fruity luscious that pairs well with cocoa powder or chocolate. Then get right on to it. Be creative bold and adventurous like me. My cake is moist, flavourful, delicious and colourful. Let’s bake!!!!
Ingredients
380 g brown sugar
250 g unsalted butter
300 g plain flour
100 g dark chocolate mint flavour (70% cocoa, broken into small pieces)
300 ml sour cream
1 1/4 c Moscato
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 c Aperol
2 large eggs
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 1/2 Tsp baking soda
3/4 Tsp salt
Tempering white chocolate in advance
200 g white chocolate chips1 Tbs butter (OPT)
3 Tbs thickened cream
Green shredded coconut nest
15-20 g shredded coconut
1 tiny drop of green colouring
Decorations
3 strawberries, stem removed
5 ovals tempered white chocolate
1 strawberry flower
2 arch shapes strawberries
green shredded coconut
Method
Tempering the chocolate
Put a pot with water about 4 inches on medium heat, bring to boil. Then put white chocolate chips in a metal bowl that sit tightly on the pot, no steam can escape. Melt chocolate, stirring regularly with spatula from middle into outer of chocolate for about 1-2 minutes.
White chocolate prone to overheating, it’s good idea to stop heating before all chocolate chips are melted. Bring out bowl and place on top a towel, add thickened cream and butter stirring until melted and well mixed. Let it cool and spoon onto 5 oval shapes mould. Put in freezer to harden overnight.
The next day bake cake
Preheat 180 degrees C. Greased a 9″ round cake pan with 3″ deep with butter and line the bottom with baking paper brushed with some more butter. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then add Aperol and Moscato; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa and chocolate. Set aside to cool for about 12 minutes.
Beat eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in a large bowl to combine. Next add aperol, Moscato, cocoa, chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat until smooth. Now add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined well. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 1hour and 15 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Switch off oven and leave cake in with door close for 30 minutes. Remove cake from oven and cool in pan for 1 hour. Then transfer to cake base with container and set aside.
Make the green shredded coconut nest
Put shredded coconut into a bowl and add a tiny drop of green colouring and mix well with a spoon. Set aside in fridge. When cake is completely cool, decorate with 5 ovals chocolate and 3 strawberries next to ovals chocolate 2 on top of cake one at the bottom, green shredded coconut in the middle of the cake. Place strawberry flower in the middle of green shredded coconut and 2 arch shapes strawberries outside the green shredded coconut. Serve the cake with chocolates that I have made extra and a scoop of ice cream.
Note: Oven temperature may vary. You might need more or less time. You do need to check the consistency of the batter, if too running add more flour. If too dry add some more sour cream. You can use any dark chocolate of your choice. You might want to frost your cake. I like it just with decorations of chocolates, strawberries and shredded coconut.
Extra chocolate keep in freezer or make a different mould. If you have extra green shredded coconut keep in air tight container in fridge and use it for another cake decoration.
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