Recipe: Chocolate cake with guavas and gananche

Chocolate cake with guavas and ganache. Photo / Babiche Martens

Serves 8-10

500g fresh guavas
1 Tbs honey
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup dessert wine
2 tsp butter

Cake
400g butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup cocoa powder
200g dark chocolate
3/4 cup milk

Ganache
150g dark chocolate
1/2 cup cream plus extra to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 200C. Put the guavas into a baking dish and drizzle over the honey.

2 Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds over the guavas. Add the dessert wine and butter then roast for 15 minutes or until they begin to soften. Let cool.

3 Reduce the oven temperature to 160C. Beat the butter and sugar until pale. Beat in each egg one at a time.

4 Sift the flour with the baking powder and cocoa.

5 Chop the chocolate and melt gently either in a small bowl over simmering water or in the microwave.

6 Fold the dry ingredients through the egg mixture with the melted chocolate and the milk.

7 Spoon into a lined 22cm springform tin and bake for approximately 1 hour - test with a skewer, it may take a further 10 minutes depending on your oven.

8 To make the ganache; chop the chocolate and place in a small saucepan. Pour in the cream and melt together gently while stirring until smooth. Pour the ganache over the cake, then pile on the guavas. Serve with cream or creme fraiche.

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