Moist hedgehog cake

Name: Moist hedgehog cake
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Switzerland
Ingredients: 105 g butter; 105 g egg yolk; 50 g granulated sugar | part 1; 105 g egg white; 105 g couverture | dark; 50 g granulated sugar | part 2; 105 g hazelnuts; 35 g white flour; 35 g chocolate drops | baking solid

Hedgehog Cake – The perfect autumn cake

Don’t worry, this spiky coat is guaranteed not to hurt anyone – the spines are actually made of meringue and are absolutely delicious. They complement the rest of the hedgehog perfectly and go beautifully with the chocolatey sponge. What’s more, this cake not only tastes incredibly good and sweet, it also looks absolutely stunning. All you need to make it at home is our brillianthedgehog baking tinand a bit of time in the kitchen.

Key figures

Makes:1 cake

Baking time:approx. 40–50 minutes

Temperature:170 ºC fan oven

Drying time: approx. 60 minutes

Drying temperature: 80 ºC fan oven

Difficulty: Easy

Shelflife: 5 days

Ingredients

Butter	105 g
Egg yolk	105 g
Granulated sugar \| Part 1	50 g
Egg white	105 g
Dark couverture	105 g
Granulated sugar \| Part 2	50 g
Hazelnuts	105 g
plain flour	35 g
Chocolate chips \| suitable for baking	35 g

Manufacture

First, beat the butter and the sugar (part 1) until light and fluffy. Then add the egg yolks.Gentlymelt thecouverture chocolatein a bain-marie and stir it into the butter mixture until you have a smooth mixture. Lightly whisk the egg whites, gradually add the sugar (part 2) and continue whisking until you have stiff peaks.

Now carefully fold the egg whites into the mixture using a spatula. Finally, fold in the hazelnuts, flour andchocolate chips, then pour the mixture into the greasedtin. The cake is now baked at 170 ºC (fan oven) for approx. 40–50 minutes.

Ingredients for Meringue & Ganache

Egg white	25 g
Caster sugar	45 g
Salt	1 pinch

Milk couverture	50 g
Chocolate \| dark	50 g
Double cream	50 g

To make the meringue sticks, you need tolightlywhisk theegg whites and then gradually add the sugar in three or four stages until the mixture is completely stiff. Then fill a piping bag fitted withan 8-hole nozzleand pipe thin strips onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Leave these strips to dry in the oven at 80 ºC (fan).

Bring the double cream to the boil, place themilk chocolateanddark chocolatein a bowl, and pour the hot cream over them. Leave the mixture to stand for a moment, then whisk it until you have a smooth, lump-free ganache.

Place the hedgehog on acooling rack, put some baking paper underneath it and pour the ganache over the hedgehog. Leave the ganache to set briefly, break the fully dried meringue sticks into small spines and arrange them on the hedgehog.

Finally, you can add ears, a nose and eyes made from fondant to the hedgehog – this will make it look even cuter. Dust with a littlecocoa powderto finish and enjoy!