Heaven & Hell Cake
Ingredients
For ganache
900g chopped milk chocolate
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
For the Angel’s food cake
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups egg whites
1t cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
2t vanilla
1t almond extract
For the Devil’s food cake
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1t baking soda
Pinch of salt
1t baking powder
1 cup coffee
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1t vanilla
2 eggs
For the Peanut butter mousse
700g cream cheese
4 cups peanut butter
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
Method
Make the ganache:
Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring cream to a boil, then pour cream over the chocolate and let sit to melt for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, combine the chocolate and cream. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to let rest for an hour or so.
Make the angel food cake:
Heat oven to 180°C. Line bottom of a medium round cake pan with ungreased baking paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners sugar and flour; set flour mixture aside.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt with a handheld mixer on low speed until frothy. Increase mixer speed to medium, sprinkle in sugar, vanilla, and almond extract, and beat until stiff peaks form.
Sprinkle half of the confectioners sugar-flour mixture over egg whites; using a spatula, fold until just combined.
Repeat with remaining flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake until top of cake springs back when touched, 45-50 minutes. Transfer cake to a rack and let cool.
Make the devil's food cake:
Heat oven to 180°C. Grease a medium round cake pan with butter and dust with flour to coat; shake out excess flour and set pan aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder; set flour mixture aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk the coffee and cocoa powder until smooth; set coffee mixture aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs with a handheld mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 minutes. Alternately add the flour mixture and the coffee mixture to the bowl in 3 stages, beating to combine after each addition. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, 30-35 minutes; transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
Make the peanut butter mousse:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and confectioners sugar with a handheld mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Put cream into a large bowl and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture; set mousse aside in the refrigerator.
Assemble the cake:
Using a serrated-blade knife, slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Place 1 layer of the devil's food cake on a cake stand and spread 1/3 of the peanut butter mousse over the top with a butter knife.
Top mousse with a layer of the angel food cake and spread with half of the remaining mousse. Repeat with the remaining devil's food cake, mousse, and angel food cake.
Wrap cake in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 2 hours. Stir ganache until smooth and spread evenly over the top and sides of the cake with a butter knife.
Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours before slicing.
