Chocolate Brazil Nut Cake for Baking Partners Challenge 5

A pair of festivity is in our house, and we are gearing for baking of cakes, and cookies.   For “Baking Partners” group we decided to bake a cake for this month’s challenge. Suja of Kitchen Corner Try It and  Archana of Tangy Minds suggested recipes for this month challenge. I selected the recipe for Chocolate Brazil nut cake. However recipe is less flour and needs 6 eggs. My heart beat increased seeing so many eggs in the recipe, but I liked the idea of using Brazil nuts in the recipe, and that is new nut for us.

We as a family love to explore the new tastes, whether it is in a dish, fruit or vegetables, we are in.  I was in search of brazil nut, usually I get nuts are from Whole Foods and Fiesta local grocery store. While doing grocery shopping at Fiesta, I saw Brazil nut, it is not that cheap, and 1 pound cost about 14 dollars. At first I was planning to buy hazelnut, and then thought if I can get Brazil nut why I am going for substitute. So bought a half a pound of brazil nut, and came home like somebody who had won a great foot ball match. Unfortunately Texans lost their last game with New England Patriots.  Hope they will win the next game against the Colts.
 Somebody told me that Brazil nut looks and taste like jack fruit seeds. No they are not like jack fruit seeds, they are more fatty, where as jack fruit seeds are more starchy in taste.

Brazil nuts are found only in the Amazon forest. It is full of protein, fats and essential nutrients.  It is one of tallest trees at about 50 meters and lives for about 500-700 years. During the flowering season each tree bears about 300 fruit pod which is similar to coconut. Even after falling from the tree these fruit pods won’t break and they need the help of caviomorph rodents to break the fruit and helps in the pollination of this plant.  Each fruit contain from 10-25 seeds and is covered in thick shell arranged in orange like fashion.  Each seed weigh about 2g and has sweet nut flavor. Read more from here. Like any other nuts brazilnuts have health benefits too, it is high in calories, rich in vitamin E, selenium and mono-saturated fatty acids like palmitoleic acid and oleic acid.

 Since I did not want all the eggs in the cake, I was in search of recipes which use more chocolate and less egg. I found this Texas sheet cake recipe however it used only cocoa powder. I want to use chocolate. So included both cocoa powder and chocolate and increased the amount of flour. I found that sour cream is used to substitute eggs so I used sour cream. If you add coffee, then chocolate flavor is intense. I used cinnamon, and that too enhance the chocolate flavor. After mixing everything, I thought it is enough to use 6 inch cake pan, and I was wrong, for this you need   9 inch cake pan.  However I was clever enough keep the cake pan in baking sheet to prevent the over flowing of my cake. It was good idea.  After 15 minutes of baking my cake started forming lava and filled in the baking sheet. However the loss of filling was minimal so I was able to rescue the cake.

Once baked my daughter got a taste of the cake she came back and told me it is good. Then comes frosting part, my hubby told me don’t use too much sugar, then I won’t eat it.  I want to use original frosting from the one which Suja had suggested. Frosting is simple but it uses honey.  I made sugarless frosting. Only used semi-sweet chocolate chips sprinkle Brazil nut in the top. It is delicious cake, my daughter finished the last piece without even let me to take a major bite. Thus I found a best chocolate cake recipe I ever ate.

Brazil nut combines well with chocolate to form a delicious combo. You can say it is best, it will beat almond, hazelnut or any other nuts combo.  I can’t stop eating this combo, so made chocolate brazil nut cookies, that too delicious.  Thanks Suja for introducing me to a wonderful combo.

Make sure to visit to see how the other members of this group whipped up their cake.

At gather you ingredients both for cake and frosting

Preheat oven to 350F and butter and flour and line the pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Toast the brazil nut, remove the skin, yes it is pain in the butt do it is worth it. Chop into fine pieces and set aside.  Mix instant coffee with water. Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda and set aside. Melt chocolate and set aside. 

Cream butter and sugar then add sour cream and mix again, the add egg, vanilla and melted chocolate and combine everything well. Gradually add flour in 3 additions, and finally fold in the chopped Brazil nuts.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F and bake the cake for about 1 hour and set aside for cooling for 10 minutes. 

In the mean time make frosting, heat whip cream and bring to boil and add chocolate and set aside. While cream butter and add chocolate whip cream mixture and beat until it become smooth and glossy.

Using spatula, frost the cake and sprinkle brazil nuts.

Enjoy the cake. Trust me they are delicious, you can stop eating them. 

   You want a slice

 Chocolate Brazil nut Cake

Print recipe from here 

Cake recipe adapted from here and Frosting from here                               

Prep Time    20 minutes

Cook Time    60 minutes

Serves    6 - 8

Ingredients:
               1 cup  All purpose flour
               1 cup sugar
               2 tablespoon Cocoa powder
               1/4 cup sour cream
               2 ounce of semisweet chocolate chips
               5 tablespoon  butter
               1 large egg
               1 tablespoon Instant Coffee powder
               1/4 teaspoon salt
              1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract
               1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
               1/2 teaspoon baking soda
               1/4  cup  brazil nuts chopped
               1/2 cup warm water
                    
          Frosting
                2 tablespoon butter
                2 ounce semisweet chocolate chips
                 1/4 cup  + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
                 1/4 cup chopped brazil nuts
                             
Steps:

·         Preheat oven to 350F. . Toast nuts in a shallow baking pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Transfer nuts into large strainer. Rub nuts against the strainer with a towel and remove most of the skin and keep aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.

·         Melt chocolate in double boiler or heatproof medium bowl over hot, not simmering, water over low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth, remove and set aside to cool.

·         Butter 9”x3” pan, line base with parchment paper and grease and flour the sides of the pan

·         Dissolve the instant coffee in warm water and set aside.

·         Sift the flour with cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and set aside.

·         Cream butter and sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add sour cream, mix everything then add egg and combine well.  Stir in the melted chocolate, coffee and vanilla extract.

·         Gradually add flour-cocoa powder-salt mixture into the chocolate mixture, repeat folding in batches until batter is blended.

·         Gently fold in the Brazil nuts and set aside.

·         Transfer batter into prepared pans and bake for 60 minutes or till the tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

·         Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Using a spatula go around the cake gently and invert onto a cake rack and allow cooling completely.

Frosting

·         Bring cream to a full boil in a small saucepan remove from heat and immediately add the chopped chocolate. Stir quickly till the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool to room temperature. Whip this at high speed till it thickens and becomes pale. Cream butter in a medium bowl until it is soft and smooth, gradually add the chocolate mixture and beat well.

·         Using a long spatula spread frosting evenly on the side and top of the cake. Fill the center with chopped Brazil nuts.