Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake

Though my father's birthday has passed several weeks before I could really bake a cake for him - but well, late is better than never. I still did a cake that I think he will like a lot - Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake - the pirated Secret Recipe version. I rate this as 9/10. Actually, it can reach 10/10 just simply because I over baked the walnuts and the ruin of ganache on its appearance. Otherwise, this cake recipe is really compatible with Secret Recipe's original Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake

Bad slicing - but look at the layers of chocolate and cake. Yum -

SIZE: 7 inches 

INGREDIENTS 

Cake batter

(A) 

4 egg yolks

20g sugar

60g Canola cooking oil 

60g milk (liquid) 

80g cake flour (low protein flour)

15g cocoa powder 

(B)

4 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar

50g sugar 

Filing 

(C) 

Walnuts (pre baked) 

Almond nibs (pre baked; optional) 

Chocolate mousse 

(D)
140g cooking chocolate couverture (chopped into pieces) 

100g full cream milk 

140g topping cream (whipped)

Ganache 
(E)
30g cooking chocolate couverture
18g whipping cream
3g butter

Decoration
(E)
Topping cream
Milo powder
Almond nibs (optional)
White chocolate stripes (optional)

STEPS:
(PART ONE) Prepare the cake:

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar. Add in cooking oil and milk. Add in flour and cocoa powder. Mix well. Set aside. 
2. Whisk egg whites until huge bubbles are formed. Add in cream of tartar and sugar 1/3 at a time until stiff peak is formed. 
3. Combine 1/3 of the egg white batter to the egg yolk batter. Combine both batters together. 
4. Pour batter into the 7 inches round baking tin (removable bottom; therefore no lining is used) to be baked into a preheated oven at:

• 140 degree Celsius (bottom fire) (15 minutes) 
• 140 degree Celsius (top and bottom fire) (30 - 40 minutes) 
• 150 degree Celsius (top and bottom fire) (10 - 15 minutes)  

5. Overturn the cake on a cooling rack immediately after taking out from the oven. Remove mold after cake has cooled. Slice the cake horizontally into 3 - 4 slices.

(PART TWO) Prepare the chocolate mousse: 

1. Chop chocolate into pieces using knife by grating it. 
2. By using double boiling method, melt milk and chocolate pieces until the chocolate mixture becomes smooth. Leave it aside to cool down. 
3. Combine whipped topping cream with the melted chocolate until everything is well combined to form chocolate mousse.

(PART THREE) Assembling the cake: 

1. Place one slice of cake layer in the same 7 inches round cake tin (must use the one with removable bottom). 
2. Spread half of the chocolate mousse to cover up the middle and edge. Sprinkle baked walnuts and almond nibs. 
3. Place the second cake layer on top of the chocolate mousse. 
4. Repeat step (2).
5. Repeat step (3) with the last cake layer. 
6. Use plastic wrap to cover the surface of the cake tin with the cake exposed externally as the top layer. 
7. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

(PART FOUR) Frosting the cake:

1. Whip topping cream to stiff peak. 
2. Remove the cake from the cake tin by pushing the bottom lid up. 
3. Place the cake on a cake board. 
4. Frost the whole cake with topping cream. 
5. Use the zig-zag tool to create lines at the side of the cake.
6. Refrigerate the cake while preparing the ganache. It is better if the cake is kept chill for another few hours before pouring the ganache. 

(PART FIVE) Preparing the ganache: 

1. By using double boiling method, heat and melt ingredients (E) until everything dissolves. Leave it aside to slightly cool down a little but still in liquid form. 
2. Drizzle the ganache on the sides of the frosted cake. 

(PART SIX) Decorating the cake: 

1. Sift Milo powder at the center of the top of the cake. 
2. Pipe pattern topping cream to cover the ugly chocolate drips.
3. Decorate with white chocolate stripes and almond nibs.
4. With excess topping cream, you may pipe pattern cream at the bottom skirt of the cake.
5. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours before serving. 

I didn't do a good job in the ganache -- thus you see it's really thick and.. ugly. 

However, for chocolate lovers, it's yummmmy.

Remarks: 

• Don't over bake your walnuts. Always watch it when you are baking it. Burnt walnuts affect the taste. 
• Use 1 cold egg to 3 room temperature eggs while making the cake. The ratio is 1:3 (cold:room temperature). Cold egg whites are more stable but room temperature egg whites whip better in its volume. By using this ratio, chocolate cake bakes better with a taller height.
• Use a removable bottom cake tin to make mousse cake makes everything very easy to manage. 
• It is normal to see your cake reduced slightly in its size after it has cooled when you insert the cake layer into the same cake tin to make the mousse layering. Cake does shrink a little after it is cooled. 
• Always use high quality chocolate when making this type of cake - chocolate mousse or heavy chocolate cake. Lousy cooking chocolate tastes really awful and cannot be compared to the good quality chocolate like Beryl's. Use one with appropriate percentage of cocoa butter, a minimum of 30%. I used dark chocolate. 
• You may bake the cake in advanced and keep appropriately to avoid dryness. 
• The cake is soft due to chiffon cake base. You don't need syrup to moisten the cake. It is still moist and delicious even after 2 days.
• Milo powder is used as the top decoration because it tastes sweet and not bitter like cocoa powder. I am not so sure what Secret Recipe really uses for the top but I personally don't want a bitter cake. Also, please sieve the Milo powder before using - or else you will end up with lumps that spoil the whole image of your cake.