Here’s a cake that reminds me of my childhood, the Napolitain! A soft little cake that I loved eating when I was little. And with chocolate too! And yet when I was little, I wasn’t much of a foodie. I was even rather fussy. But every time I walk past it in the cake aisle, I’m a child again. I hadn’t imagined for a second that you could reproduce it at home, but when I came across the blog Le Palais des Délices, I realised that it was entirely possible and, what’s more, that it wasn’t too complicated to make!
So, without further ado, I decided to make this cake for a meal with friends, with some pint-sized gourmets. On top of the frankly successful look, this cake was really good! In short, a cake that delights grown-ups and little ones alike! ????
For the recipe, I had a choice. There are several recipes for this cake in the blogosphere (here are a few blogs that inspired me: 1, 2 and 3). I went for a génoise sponge based on a yoghurt cake, so super simple to make.
Ingredients & preparation
5 components · Full recipe
Base Cake
Ingredients
- 1 plain yoghurt
- 3 pots caster sugar
- 4 pots plain flour
- 1/2 pot sunflower oil
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 of a sachet baking powder
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon liquid vanilla extract
Preparation
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
2
Butter and flour a square or rectangular tin (I used a 20×20 cm (7.9 in) cake tin).
3
Pour the yoghurt into a bowl and add the sugar, flour, eggs, oil and baking powder. Mix well to obtain a smooth, even batter.
4
Divide the batter (2/3 – 1/3). To the larger portion, add the vanilla extract. To the other, add 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 5 tablespoons of water (as the cocoa will thicken the batter).
5
Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared tin. Smooth the surface with a spatula and bake for approximately 12 minutes. The cake should remain soft.
6
Unmould, then repeat with the vanilla batter (the baking time will be a little longer since there is more batter — keep an eye on it).
7
Leave both cakes to cool.
Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
- 18 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon dark rum or milk (optional)
Preparation
1
In a bowl, mix together the condensed milk and the 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
2
Add the rum (or milk). Mix well until the mixture is perfectly smooth.
Soaking Syrup
Ingredients
- 45 g (1.6 oz) water
- 45 g (1.6 oz) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
1
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Leave to cool.
White Icing
Ingredients
- 180 g (6.3 oz) icing sugar
- water
- chocolate sprinkles
Preparation
1
In a large bowl, gradually mix the icing sugar with a little water, stirring as you go, until you obtain an icing that can be spread easily over the cake. You want a consistency that is fairly firm but pliable — not too runny. To achieve this, add the water very gradually while mixing until you reach the perfect consistency.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Preparation
1
Slice the vanilla cake in half horizontally.
2
On a serving plate, place the first vanilla layer. Brush with the soaking syrup. Spread the chocolate cream over the entire surface. Top with the chocolate cake and brush it with syrup as well. Spread the chocolate cream again, then top with the final vanilla layer, also brushed with syrup.
3
Leave to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4
Remove the cake from the fridge and spread the icing over the entire surface, smoothing with a spatula.
5
Return the cake to the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cutting, to allow the icing to set and the cake to stabilise.
6
Trim the cake (i.e. cut the edges) for a neat presentation.
7
Finish by scattering chocolate sprinkles over the top.
8
Serve the cake at room temperature (take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before eating so it regains its full softness).
Gallery
