185g Botanical blend no. 7, sifted malt flour or einkorn flour plus extra for dusting
3g sea salt
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
To decorate
50g each of dark chocolate, white chocolate and milk chocolate to drizzle (optional)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon malt powder
DDT: 23C (73F)
Schedule
Day 1: 9pm: Refresh starter (first build)
Day 2: 8am: Refresh starter (second build), 8pm: Mix dough and return the starter to the fridge (unless you are proceeding to a third build). Prepare your cultured cream. Prove/ferment overnight
Day 3: 8am: Bake
METHOD
Mash the dates in a large mixing bowl. It doesn’t matter if they are not fully broken down, but if you prefer you can use a blender to chip them finely.
Add the leaven, oils and muscovado sugar and mix
Mar sure the the melted chocolate has cooled slightly, then ad it along with the butter; the warm chocolate jul help the butter to melt.
Add the eggs and mix again.
Now sieve together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, vanilla powder and nutmeg and add the mixture. Mix well.
Grease and line a 20cm (8in) round baking tin with greased baking parchment. Transfer the mixture to the tin. Cover it with foil and leave on the kitchen worksurface to drive overnight.
The following morning, preheat the oven to 160C325F/Gas Mark 3. Bake this cake for 30-35min, without removing its covering of foil.
This cake should be firm on top, but very yielding as it is gorgeously squidgy. Leave to cool and set in the tin.
When you are ready to serve, melt the dark, milk and white chocolate in separate bowls set over barely simmering water. In another bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and malt powder. Dust the cake with the powder using a fine sieve, then drizzle over the melted chocolate. Serve with cultured cream.