Ingredients
FOR THE DECORATION:
100 g sugar
100 g salted macadamia nuts
1 teaspoon sea salt (fleur de sel)
450 g sugar
50 g maple syrup
400 g cream
50 g soft butter
1 teaspoon sea salt (fleur de sel)
FOR THE CARAMEL:
scraped out pulp of 1 vanilla pod
100 g soft butter
300 g sugar
3 egg yolks
scraped pulp of 1/2 vanilla pod
FOR THE FLOUR:
250 g flour
75 g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
200 g buttermilk
100 ml lukewarm espresso
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp. salt
butter for the mold
FOR THE GLAZE:
50 g cocoa powder
50 ml lukewarm espresso
150 g soft butter
60 g powdered sugar
150 g chopped dark chocolate coating (70 % cocoa)
Preparation
For the decoration, mix 50 ml of water and the sugar in the pan. Bring to a boil, stop stirring! Cook to brown caramel, then add the macadamia nuts. Immediately remove the macadamia caramel from the heat and pour onto a piece of baking paper. Sprinkle with sea salt crystals, then let cool and chop into coarse pieces for decorating.
For the caramel, combine the sugar with maple syrup and 50 ml water in a high saucepan. Cook over medium heat without stirring (!) until the mixture has a golden brown hue, this may take some time. When the right shade is reached, remove the pot from the heat and slowly pour in the cream while stirring.
Return the saucepan to the stove and heat the mixture to 115° while stirring (check with a core temperature probe!), then immediately remove from the heat and pour the caramel into a bowl. Let cool for approx. 30 min. Add butter, sea salt and vanilla pulp to caramel and stir in. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170° (convection oven; recommended here) for the bases. Grease the springform pans and line the edges with baking paper. Cream the butter, 250 g sugar, the egg yolks and the vanilla pulp in a bowl with the whisks of a food processor or hand mixer.
Sift the flour with the cocoa, baking soda and baking powder and add to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk in five steps (first flour mixture, then buttermilk, then flour mixture again, buttermilk and flour mixture). Stir in the espresso. Beat the egg whites with 50 g sugar and the salt until stiff and fold in. Divide the batter among the springform pans and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Leave to cool.
Cut the cake layers in half horizontally with a serrated knife to make a total of four layers, straighten if necessary. Place the first cake layer on the cake board and spread with one third of the caramel mixture. Do the same with the next two layers, then place the last layer on top. Smooth the caramel all over with a palette and refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour.
For the glaze, mix the cocoa with the espresso. In a bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar with the whisk of a hand mixer until fluffy. Melt the chocolate coating over a hot water bath (see recipe tip), allow to cool for approx. 5 min. and slowly stir into the butter mixture. Finally, add the mixed cocoa. Let the glaze rest for approx. 30 min.
Coat the cake with the chocolate icing all around with the palette. Pour the remaining icing into the piping bag and pipe a frilly border on the top and bottom of the cake. Finally, sprinkle the cake with the macadamia caramel.