Chinese 5 spice flourless chocolate cake with chai creme anglaise

Recipe by: Emma OShaughnessy - Contestant Serves: 4

Ingredients

Cake

1 teaspoon Szechuan pepper

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

8 star anise

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

teaspooncloves

cupcastersugar

cupwater

180g dark chocolate, chopped

140g butter, melted

3 eggs

Crmeanglaise

10 cardamom pods, split open

3 slices ginger

2 cinnamon sticks

3 teaspoons ground cloves

5 star anise

2 cups cream

cupcastersugar

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons black tea

5 egg yolks

Chocolate ganache

100ml cream

180g dark chocolate, 70%, chopped

Method

Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 1 hour 20 minutes 1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line four 11cm spring form cake tins. Wrap the outside of the base and sides of the tins in foil to protect them from water seeping in. 2. For the cake, place the Szechuan pepper, fennel seeds and star anise in a small frying pan, place over a medium heat and toast until fragrant,transfertoablender,addthecinnamonandclovesandblendtoapowder.Sift.Placecupofsugarandwaterintoasaucepan,add2teaspoonsofthespicemix,placeoverahighheat,stirtodissolvethesugar.Reduceheattomediumandsimmertoasyrup.Place the chocolate and the syrup into a bowl; place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate just melts then remove from heat. Add the butter and mix until smooth. Place the remaining sugar and eggs in a bowl and using an electric beater, beat until thick and pale. Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared tins, place tins in a roasting pan. Add enough hot water to the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the spring form tins. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool then remove from tins.

3. For the anglaise, place the cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, 1 cup of cream and sugar in a saucepan, place over a medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until infused. Add the milk and tea, simmer for 5 minutes. Place the egg yolks in a bowl with the remaining cream and whisk until well combined. Strain the infused cream mixture over the egg mixture whisking continually then transfer back into the saucepan. Place back over medium heat and whisk until slightly thickened. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. 4. For the ganache, Pour the cream into a saucepan and place over a medium heat, bring to a simmer. Place the chocolate in a bowl, pour over the hot cream and whisk until chocolate has melted and ganache is smooth.5 Smear some ganache onto a serving plate, top with cake and serve with the creme anglaise in a jug to the side.