Halloween Mandarin and Pistachio Cake

Its national baking week so I needed no further encouragement to bake a delicious cake, however my sandwich cake tins were looking a little sad so as a special treat I replaced them with two 20 cm non stick loose bottom tins from Homesense. They are perfect for lifting the cake out and also really good quality as they do not distort or buckle in the oven. There is wonderful range of bake ware available at Homesense and it was really hard not to over indulge and buy the whole shop.

I adore the combination of chocolate and nuts and this delicious mandarin and pistachio cake fits the bill perfectly. It is flavoured with Mr Organic Mandarin Conserve, filled with mandarin butter cream and topped with a chocolate ganache and the sides are coated with flaked pistachios. Is your mouth salivating well there is more to come.....

The cake is finally garnished with chocolate coated peanuts (M&M) and white chocolate shavings, crushed chocolate peanuts and flaked pistachio nuts. It is a cake that is simply delectable and one slice is most certainly not enough!!!!!

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Halloween Mandarin and Pistachio Cake

by Nayna Kanabar October-21-2016

Beautiful citrus flavours combined with chocolate and pistachio nuts makes this cake moist and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 200 g Caster Sugar
• 200 g Butter
• 200 g Self raising Flour
• 4 Eggs (or egg replacer equivalent to 4 eggs)
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 tablespoons Mr Organic Sicilian Mandarin Conserve
• 2 tablespoons Warm water

For Chocolate Ganache:

• 100 g Milk Chocolate
• 170 ml Double cream

For Decorating:

• 100 g Flaked Pistachio nuts
• 30 g White chocolate
• 30 Chocolate covered Peanuts (M&M)

For Butter cream:

• 150 g Softened Butter
• 2 tablespoons Sicilian Mandarin Conserve
• 300 g Icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.2. Grease and Line two 20 cm cake loose bottom cake tins.3. Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy, 4. Sieve the flour and baking powder in to another bowl.5. Add the water to the Sicilian mandarin conserve and mix it together. Add this to the butter and sugar mixture.6 .Add the eggs to the butter mixture and whisk together.7. Fold in the flour with a metal spoon.Divide the mixture into the two prepared cake tins and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and cool them fully. Once cooked remove them from the tins onto a wire rack.8.Make the butter cream by whisking together the remaining butter, icing sugar and the Sicilian mandarin conserve.9. Break the chocolate into small pieces and put it into a large bowl.10. Warm the cream up and pour it over the chocolate, wait for the cream to melt the chocolate and them mix it to make the ganache. 11. To assemble the cake place one of the cakes top side down onto cake board. Spread some butter cream in the centre and place the second cake top side up onto the cream to make a cake sandwich.12.Using a palette knife spread the remaining butter cream onto the sides of the cake and then stick the flaked pistachio nuts onto the sides.13. Spread some chocolate ganache on top of the cake, do not over do the topping as we not want the chocolate to run down the sides. Arrange the chocolate covered peanuts around the cake and grate some white chocolate shaving in the centre. Also sprinkle some crushed chocolate peanuts and a few pistachio flakes on top of the cake.

Details

Prep time: 45 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Yield: 1 cake

This recipe is in Collaboration with Homesense in celebration of  National Baking Week.