This rich chocolate yoghurt cake with white chocolate ganache and poached quince recipe has been created by Lauren Eldridge, head pastry chef at the Stokehouse restaurants at St Kilda Beach, Victoria and South Bank, Queensland. The produce she was inspired by was the natural Greek Yoghurt from Schulz Organic Dairy.
Serves 12
Start this recipe a day ahead.
Chocolate Yoghurt Cake Ingredients
400g unsalted butter, chopped
320g dark (70%) chocolate
600g plain flour
1 tbs, plus 1 tsp (20g) baking powder
80g cocoa powder
800g caster sugar
6 eggs
100ml water
450g Schulz Organic Dairy Natural Greek Yogurt
Edible flowers, to serve
White Chocolate Yoghurt Ganache Ingredients
680g white chocolate, finely chopped
450ml single cream
550g Schulz Organic Dairy Natural Greek Yogurt
Poached Quince Ingredients
2 medium quinces
1 lemon
500g caster sugar
500ml water
Method
1) To make the ganache, place chocolate and cream into a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt together, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool. Stir the yoghurt into the cooled chocolate mixture. Cover and leave to set in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
2) Preheat oven to 160°C (fan-forced). Grease and line the base and sides of two 20cm round cake tins. Place butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt together, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from the heat and set aside.
3) Sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl. Whisk in the caster sugar to combine.
4) Place eggs, water and yoghurt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk until combined and there are no lumps (you do not need to aerate this mixture).
5) Turn mixer to low speed, pour in the melted chocolate and whisk until combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl and swap to the paddle attachment. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
6) Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared tins and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
7) Meanwhile, while the cake is baking, prepare the quinces. Wash quince and remove any furry layer. Squeeze half a lemon into a large bowl of cold water. Peel and cut each quince into eighths, then remove cores and reserve both peel and cores. Place the quince in lemon water (this is to stop the quince oxidising too quickly).
8) Place peel and cores into a large saucepan with sugar and water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1-2 hours until the syrup has turned a rich red.
9) Remove cores and peel from saucepan and add quinces and the other half of the lemon. Cook on low and simmer for a further 1½ hours or until the quince is tender and has turned a pink-red. (The colour can vary depending on the quince and season.) Turn off the heat and leave to cool in the syrup.
10) Place ganache into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk for 2 minutes until light and airy. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm.
11) Remove the cakes from the tin and trim the top of the cakes to make a flat surface. Carefully slice each cake into three layers horizontally.
12) When ready to assemble the cake, spread ganache over the cut surface of the cake rounds and stack, pressing each layer down slightly. (If the ganache is too soft, refrigerate after layering). Top with the final cake round and use the remaining ganache to ice the cake. To serve, top with poached quince, syrup and edible flowers.
Chef’s Note
If using a small stand mixer, make the cake batter in two batches.
Tools of the Trade
Available from Harvey Norman, the Kenwood 6.7L Chef XL Sense Special Edition Mixer in Violet is pictured in the above image. It’s the perfect kitchen appliance for creating cake batters, like the one in Lauren Eldridge’s rich chocolate yoghurt cake with white chocolate ganache and poached quince recipe.
More Australian Chef Recipes
The following recipes have all been created by esteemed Australian chefs. Each recipe has been inspired by some of the best Australian produce.
► Roasted Rib of Beef with Witlof, Soft Garlic and Lardo Jus, created by Jordan Toft.
► Western Australian Marron Thermidor with Bush Tomato, created by Paul Farag.
► Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Harissa, Macadamia and Pickled Currants, created by Adam Wolfers.