Chocolate and walnut cake

I don't know about you, but I can't think of a better combination than chocolate and nuts. And if we add a good homemade pastry base to this already delicious mix, then we have... the best chocolate, nuts and shortcrust pastry cake in the world!

I promise I'm not exaggerating, okay? Well, the truth is that I'm not impartial at all, because I'm crazy about these types of cakes, but it seems to me that with a good shortcrust pastry base any filling is spectacular, and with little effort we'll get an incredible cake, which will make us look like true professionals in front of our people.

Of course, for me it is essential that the shortcrust pastry is homemade! It takes no time at all to prepare, even if we make it by hand, and the difference with any store-bought pastry is abysmal. With a super delicate buttery flavour, crunchy and crumbly... a delicious bite!

If we already have a spectacular base, the next step is a filling to match: walnuts and chocolate… Can you think of anything better? Because for me it's difficult! A mix of walnuts and cream that will give it a crunchy touch, topped with a dark chocolate ganache, which provides creaminess and an intense flavour… Sublime!

Now we just need a nice decoration, which I give you free rein on, you can do it however you like (don't say I'm bossy, hehe) and the most important thing: a good mold, like this marvel from Revol , which is not only beautiful, but also provides a great baking and is so pretty that it goes directly from the oven to the table.

So, have I convinced you? Let's get to the recipe!

Revol round porcelain mould , Pallarès carbon steel knife , Emile Henry ceramic ramekins and Bérard olive wood flour spoon

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 225 gr of flour
• 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 150 gr cold butter
• 1 large egg
• Zest of an orange

For the filling:

• 125 gr of peeled walnuts
• 2 medium eggs
• 100 ml of liquid cream
• 80 gr of sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate ganache:

• 165 gr of dark chocolate
• 140 ml of liquid cream (minimum 35% fat content)
• 35 gr of butter

Elaboration

1. We start by preparing the shortcrust pastry.
2. In a bowl, sift the flour and mix with the sugar and orange zest (you can grate the orange using a grater like the one from Microplane ).
3. Next, add the butter, cold and cut into pieces, and mix by rubbing with your fingers, without kneading, until you get a sandy texture.
4. Add the egg and knead the dough as little as possible, just until the crumbs come together and form a ball. If the dough is too dry, you can add a tablespoon of water, but only if necessary.
5. If using the KitchenAid , attach the paddle attachment and at speed 2 mix the flour, butter, sugar and orange zest, just long enough to obtain a sandy texture. Next, add the egg and knead the dough as little as possible, just until the crumbs come together and form a ball, adding a tablespoon of water if necessary.
6. We take the dough out of the bowl and, using a rolling pin , we stretch the dough until we obtain a sheet approximately 3 cm thick, and with a diameter slightly larger than that of the mould.
7. We wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes, although the ideal would be about 2 hours.
8. Once this time has passed, preheat the oven to 180ºC.
9. We take the dough out of the refrigerator and place it on the lightly greased mold, without stretching it, just gently adapting it to the mold.
10. We cut off the excess dough that protrudes from the mold.
11. We prick the surface of the dough with a fork to prevent bubbles from appearing, cover it with baking paper and place some baking balls on top.
12. We put it in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
13. After this time, remove from the oven, remove the paper and baking balls, and place in the oven for another 10 minutes.
14. While the base is baking, prepare the walnut filling. If you have the walnuts in their shells, peel them using a nutcracker until you have the 125 grams you need.
15. Once we have the walnuts peeled, we crush them roughly, for example with a mortar . That is to say, they do not need to be crushed very much, just that the pieces of walnuts should not be very large.
16. Beat the eggs with the sugar, add the cream, walnuts and vanilla extract and pour this mixture over the dough once the baking time is over.
17. We return it to the oven for another 30 minutes, until we see that the filling is golden.
18. Once the baking time has elapsed, we take the cake out of the oven and let it cool on a rack .
19. While the cake cools, we prepare the ganache .
20. Using a sharp knife , cut the chocolate into rather small pieces and place it in a heat-resistant container.
21. In another container, heat the cream, either in the microwave or on the stove, until it begins to boil. At this point, pour it over the chocolate and stir well with a whisk until it melts completely and you have a homogeneous mixture.
22. At this point we add the chopped butter and mix until it is perfectly integrated.
23. Pour the ganache over the cake while it is still hot, as this will make it more fluid and therefore easier to spread.
24. Once the ganache has cooled, place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
25. After this time we can decorate the cake as we prefer, in this case I have done it with pure cocoa powder, more ganache, chocolate shavings and nuts.
26. We can eat this cake straight out of the fridge, when the ganache will be harder, or at room temperature (my favourite) when the ganache will be more melty.

Revol round porcelain mould , Emile Henry ceramic ramekins , Bérard olive wood flour spoon and Pallarès carbon steel knife

Grades

• You will see that I recommend stretching the shortcrust pastry before resting it in the fridge, contrary to what is usually recommended, but for me it is much more convenient as it requires less effort. In any case, you can do it whenever you prefer.
• With the proportion of cream and chocolate that I use in the ganache, the result is a melting chocolate coating that is not excessively creamy. If you prefer a creamier ganache, simply increase the proportion of cream until you add the same amount of cream as chocolate.