Top Chef Makes Rainforest Cake for designer, Vivienne Westwood

Top London Chef, Lee Bennet creates a cake with an environmental twist for fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and the charity Cool Earth.

Lee Bennet from the Pont de la Tour restaurant put together an original recipe with coffee ganache and coffee mousse using Cool Earth Coffee. Supported by Vivienne Westwood, each jar of Cool Earth protects a rainforest tree in the Amazon.

Thankfully Cool Earth can bring you the recipe of this coffee syrup cake and we advise you to give it a try. Don't forget one of the key ingredients is Cool Earth Coffee, find out more here.

Rainforest Saving Coffee Cake

45g / 1.5oz cool earth coffee
175g / 6oz sugar
300ml / 10fl oz water

1.Bring sugar, water and extract to the boil
2. Add in the coffee and set a side to infuse

Sponge cake base

250g / 9oz sugar
8 eggs
250g / 9oz plain flour
50g / 2oz melted butter

1. whisk eggs and sugar until double and fluffy
2. fold in the flour then butter
3. pour into greased baking tins
4. bake until golden brown and firm at 180oc

Coffee ganache

400g / 14oz white chocolate
250ml / 8.5fl oz cream
30ml / 1fl oz cool earth coffee syrup

1. place chocolate in a large mixing bowl
2. put the cream and coffee syrup in a pot and bring to the boil
3. pour over the chocolate and stir until combined

Coffee mousse

250g / 9oz white chocolate
1 egg
1 egg yolk
550g / 1.2lbs semi whipped cream
3 leaves of soaked gelatine
80ml / 2.75fl oz cool earth coffee

1. semi whip the cream with the coffee syrup and leave to 1 side
2. melt chocolate over a pan of hot water
3. whisk the egg and yolk over a pan of hot water until stiff , stir in the gelatine ,then cool by continuously mixing with an electric mixer
4. add the chocolate to this and allow to mix then fold in gently the semi whipped cream
Putting the cake together

1. Once the sponge base has cooled spoon the Coffee Mousse over one of the sponge cake bases and spread evenly.
2. Place the other sponge base on top of the bottom layer.
3. Begin to pour the ganache on to the centre of the sponge cake and use a palette knife or spatula to gently ease the ganache down the sides of the cake. The ganache will seep in slightly and moisten the sponge.
4. Decorate the base of the cake with any leftover mousse and you can decorate the top of the cake with chocolate or flowers.

(All measurements in fl oz are US system fl oz)

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