Ethiopia is well known for its coffee and chocolate, a legacy left by the Italians in the late 1930s. This recipe highlights our favourite elements: delicate spices, rich chocolate and aromatic coffee.
Image credit: Samantha Pinto
Serves 4–6
For the chocolate buns
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1T baking powder
½t cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
½ cup cocoa
½ cup warm black coffee
½ cup oil
200g dark chocolate, melted
5 eggs, separated
For the sweet cream
1 cup cream
1T honey
Pinch clove
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch cardamom
For the coffee ganache
250g dark chocolate, finely chopped
⅓ cup cream
Pinch salt
2T instant coffee
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease 10 round 8cm moulds (or a large muffin tin) and set aside.
2. For the buns, mix all the dry ingredients together. Whisk in the coffee, oil, melted chocolate and egg yolks until smooth.
3. Whip the egg whites until soft-peak stage and gradually fold them into the chocolate mixture.
4. Divide mixture into moulds and bake for 30 minutes.
5. For the sweet cream, whip the cream until fluffy then gently fold in the honey and spices.
6. For the ganache, place chocolate in a bowl. Heat cream, salt and coffee until tiny bubbles appear around the edge. Turn off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before whisking until smooth.
7. Serve the buns with a dollop of spiced cream and a generous amount of the ganache.
*Tip
The salt in the ganache balances out the flavour. Use this recipe to make a large chocolate bun.
Recipe: Chiara Turilli
Image credit: Samantha Pinto
