Thanks to the fabulous Italian photographer Valeria Necchio I soooo want to make this Chocolate Krantz Cake by Yotam Ottolenghi which fits right in my MOODY WEEK with it’s dark chocolate core.

She’s one of the best food photographers (and chefs!) around and I adore her modern take on food photography. Her blog Live Love Food is a favourite of mine and her featured recipes are always inspiring. How can you not love a girl who says:

I love eating and at the same time I like feeling good. So, I found my balance in seasonal, local food and healthy cooking with high quality key ingredients…

By her own admission she was a bit wary of making this cake which comes with a gentle warning of ‘it isn’t easy or quick’ by Yotam himself but going through the process she had a great time and the cake plus her freestyle left-over buns turned out perfectly – just like her photos.

Below is the recipe from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi via Tara O’Brady’s blog Seven Spoons.

CHOCOLATE KRANTZ CAKE (AND FREESTYLE LEFT-OVER BUNS)

[Extract from the book]

Making a krantz isn’t easy or quick. You need to let the dough rise overnight and then fill and shape it, which is quite an elaborate process. But […] it is well worth it! […] They are just the sort of thing everyone hurls themselves at as soon as they come out of the oven. They will also keep for up to two days at room temperature, wrapped in foil, and up to a couple of weeks when frozen. For a fabulous alternative to the chocolate filling, brush each dough half with 6 tbsp / 80 g melted unsalted butter and then sprinkle with 1⁄2 cup / 120 g light muscovado sugar, 1 1⁄2 tbsp ground cinnamon, and scant 1⁄2 cup / 50 g coarsely chopped walnuts; then roll as described in the chocolate version.

Makes 2 loaves

INGREDIENTS:

For the dough:
4 cups / 530 g all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 cup / 100 g superfine sugar
2 teaspoons fast-rising active dry yeast
grated zest of 1 small lemon
3 extra-large free-range eggs
1/2 cup / 120 ml water
rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3cup / 150 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 3/4-inch / 2cm cubes
sunflower oil, for greasing

For the chocolate filling:
scant 1/2 cup / 50 g confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup / 30 g best-quality cocoa powder
4 oz / 130 g good-quality dark chocolate, melted
1/2 cup / 120 g unsalted butter, melted
1 cup / 100 g pecans, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons superfine sugar

For the sugar syrup (enough for both cakes):
2/3 cup / 160 ml water
1 1/4 cups / 260 g superfine sugar

DIRECTIONS:

For the dough, place the flour, sugar, yeast, and lemon zest in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs and water and mix on low speed for a few seconds, then increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes, until the dough comes together.

Add the salt and then start adding the butter, a few cubes at a time, mixing until it is incorporated into the dough. Continue mixing for about 10 minutes on medium speed, until the dough is completely smooth, elastic, and shiny. During the mixing, you will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times and throw a small amount of flour onto the sides so that all of the dough leaves them. Place the dough in a large bowl brushed with sunflower oil, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in the fridge for at least half a day, preferably overnight.

Grease two 2 1⁄4-lb / 1kg loaf pans (9 by 4 inches / 23 by 10 cm) with some sunflower oil and line the bottom of each pan with a piece of waxed paper. Divide the dough in half and keep one-half covered in the fridge.

Make the filling by mixing together the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate, and butter. You will get a spreadable paste. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle measuring 15 by 11 inches (38 by 28 cm). Trim the sides** to make them even, then position the dough so that a long side is closest to you. Use an offset spatula to spread half the chocolate mixture over the rectangle, leaving a 3⁄4-inch / 2cm border all around. Sprinkle half the pecans on top of the chocolate, then sprinkle over half the superfine sugar.

Brush a little bit of water along the long end farthest away from you. Use both hands to roll up the rectangle like a roulade, starting from the long side that is closest to you and ending at the other long end. Press to seal the dampened end onto the roulade and then use both hands to even out the roll into a perfect thick cigar. Rest the cigar on its seam. Trim about 3⁄4 inch / 2 cm off both ends of the roulade with a serrated knife. Now use the knife to gently cut the roll into half lengthwise, starting at the top and finishing at the seam. You are essentially dividing the log into two long even halves, with the layers of dough and filling visible along the length of both halves. With the cut sides facing up, gently press together one end of each half, and then lift the right half over the left half. Repeat this process, but this time lift the left half over the right, to create a simple, two-pronged plait. Gently squeeze together the other ends so that you are left with the two halves, intertwined, showing the filling on top. Carefully lift the cake into a loaf pan.

Cover the pan with a wet tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 and 1⁄2 hours. The cake will rise by 10 to 20 percent. Repeat the whole process to make the second cake.

Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C, making sure you allow plenty of time for it to heat fully before the cakes have finished rising. Remove the tea towels, place the cakes on the middle rack of the oven, and bake for about 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cakes are in the oven, make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a boil. As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat and leave to cool down. As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, brush all of the syrup over them. It is important to use up all the syrup. Leave the cakes until they are just warm, then remove them from the pans and let cool completely before serving.

* Notes from Tara O’Brady:
• I used 100% regular wholemeal flour instead of the all-purpose/plain flour and it worked perfectly fine.
• Instead of superfine sugar, I used demerara caster sugar, also with good results.
• I didn’t have any lemons when I made these so I used 1 tsp pure vanilla extract in its place.
• I used large rather than extra-large eggs and they were OK.
• Since I don’t keep sunflower oil in the house, I used ghee – which worked well for the task.
• I like very dark chocolate, so I used 85% dark chocolate – in my humble opinion, it made a great contrast with the sweetness of the syrup and balanced things out wonderfully.
• I swapped pecans for walnuts. I am sure hazelnuts would be fantastic, too.
• I ended up using less syrup (about 2/3 of the total). Although the author heatedly suggests to use all the syrup, I am not fond of super-sugary stuff, so I think I will use even less next time. I think you should listen to whatever your sweet tooth tells you…

** Notes from Valeria Necchio:
• I used the scrapes of dough and a bit of leftover chocolate filling to make those little rolled buns (pictured above), which I baked in a muffin tin for less than half the amount of time it took to bake the loaves. They were delicious and totally moreish. I will try to make cinnamon buns out of this recipe sometime soon – as I think the results might be overwhelmingly good.

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

Photography | Valeria Necchio
Recipe | Yotam Ottolenghi
Notes | Seven Spoons & Valeria Necchio