Mexican Hot Honey Chocolate Cake

Sweet meets spicy – you have to try this uniquely delicious Mexican Hot Honey Chocolate Cake! Inspired by Mexican hot chocolate, the moist chocolate cake is flavoured with Whittard Hot Honey Hot Chocolate, cinnamon and cayenne pepper for a subtle spicy kick. It’s paired with soft, pillowy honey whipped cream, has a secret chocolate ganache filling, and is finished with chewy mini marshmallows and chocolate curls! Perfect for dinner parties, coffee mornings, afternoon tea or if you just fancy something a bit different.

Your Ingredients List

• Vegetable or sunflower oil: Using oil instead of butter gives the chocolate cake a soft, moist and tender texture.
• Caster sugar: Used to sweeten the sponge and lock in moisture.
• Eggs: This recipe uses either 4 medium eggs (or 3 large eggs) for richness and structure. Use free-range organic eggs and make sure they are at room temperature.
• Milk: Using full-fat milk will result in a rich and moist sponge, but you can use whichever milk you have to hand.
• Self raising flour: The added raising agent in self-raising flour gives this chocolate cake a lovely rise and fluffier texture. If you’re using all-purpose plain flour just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
• Baking powder: Adding extra baking powder increases the cake’s lift and creates a lighter texture.
• Whittard Hot Honey Hot Chocolate: Flavours the sponge with sweet honey, rich chocolate and low-heat spices.
• Cocoa powder: Use 100% cocoa powder for an intense chocolate flavour and fudgy sponge.
• Spices: This cake is flavoured with the two spices used to make Mexican hot chocolate: cayenne pepper and cinnamon. They give the sponge a spicy kick, cosy flavour, and subtle heat that beautifully complements the rich chocolate.
• Honey whipped cream: A simple combination of double cream, honey and salt, whipped together until soft and pillowy.
• Chocolate ganache: Dark chocolate, double cream and a tablespoon of Whittard Hot Honey Hot Chocolate are heated together to make the ganache.
• Decorations: Scatter mini marshmallows and dark chocolate curls on top for the perfect finish!

Moist Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake

This Mexican hot chocolate cake uses the easy two-bowl method – dry ingredients in one, wet in the other:

• Dry: Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, hot chocolate powder, baking powder and spices.
• Wet: Oil, eggs and milk.

The dry and wet are combined, and then we add the boiling water. The boiling water will “bloom” the cocoa powder, drawing out the chocolatey flavour and making the sponge extra moist.

Pro Tip: use cake strips for an even rise

When it comes to filling and stacking layer cakes, it’s much easier if the cakes have a flat top. This is where cake strips come in handy. The cake strips are soaked in water, and secured around the tins before the cakes go in the oven. The moisture from the cake strips keeps the outer edge of the tin cooler, allowing the cake mixture to bake more evenly, and rise with a flat top.

Baking time notes

For this recipe, I’ve suggested a baking time of 40-45 minutes at 160°C (fan). If your oven tends to cook quickly/runs hot, check on the cake after 35-40 minutes. On the flip side, if your oven cooks slowly/runs cool, bake for 45-50 minutes. Using cake strips? Your cake will take longer than usual to bake. I’d suggest somewhere around 45-50 minutes.

Secret Spiced Chocolate Ganache Filling

The chocolate ganache sits in the middle of the cake for an indulgent surprise! Typically ganache is made using two ingredients; dark chocolate and double cream. But for this Mexican chocolate cake, I decided to add a scoop of Whittard Hot Honey Hot Chocolate to bring a mellow spicy kick.

Follow these 3 easy steps to make the chocolate ganache:

1. Finely chop the dark chocolate (the finer the better) and pop it in a heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the cream and hot chocolate powder in a saucepan, stirring continuously, until piping hot (but not boiling). Roughly 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl with a plate to trap in the heat and leave for 1 minute. Then stir until the ganache is smooth and glossy.

Pair with Honey Whipped Cream

Staying true to Mexican hot chocolate, I decided to pair this cake with freshly whipped cream flavoured with a hint of honey for sweetness. It keeps it light, and fresh and perfectly balances the chocolatey richness. Simply whisk the cream, honey, and a pinch of salt until it reaches soft peaks. If the cream splits, don’t panic! You just need to stir in a few tablespoons of cold cream to bring it back to a soft, pillowy texture.

How to Assemble The Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake

Now it’s time to assemble your cake! First gather all the bits and bobs: chocolate sponge layers (level them off if needed), chocolate ganache, whipped cream, mini marshmallows and dark chocolate curls (I just used a potato peeler to make them). Then, follow these steps:

1. Spread cream on top: Spread a thin layer of cream on top of one cake layer.
2. Pipe a border: Pipe three rings of cream around the edge. This will hold the ganache in place and stop the top sponge from sliding off! If you don’t have a piping bag you can spoon the cream around the outside edge instead.
3. Fill with ganache: Fill the middle with chocolate ganache and smooth it out.
4. Add the next layer: Place the second cake layer on top and gently press down to sandwich the sponges together.
5. Top with cream: Spoon the remaining cream on top, and use the back of a spoon to create a swirly pattern.
6. Add the topping: Scatter the dark chocolate curls and mini marshmallows on top. Ta-dah!

Recipe F&Q’s

Mexican Hot Honey Chocolate Cake

Sweet meets spicy – you have to try this uniquely delicious Mexican Hot Honey Chocolate Cake! Inspired by Mexican hot chocolate, the moist chocolate cake is flavoured with Whittard Hot Honey Hot Chocolate, cinnamon and cayenne pepper for a subtle spicy kick. It's paired with soft, pillowy honey whipped cream, has a secret chocolate ganache filling, and is finished with chewy mini marshmallows and chocolate curls! Perfect for dinner parties, coffee mornings, afternoon tea or if you just fancy something a bit different.

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Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 45 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

Equipment

• 2 8" round baking tins

Ingredients

Mexican hot chocolate cakes:

• 330 grams White or golden caster sugar
• 375 grams Self-raising flour or 375g plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 50 grams 100% cocoa powder
• 50 grams Whittard Hot Honey Hot Chocolate
• 1 + ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• 300 millilitre Vegetable or sunflower oil
• 150 millilitre Whole milk
• 4 medium Eggs at room temperature. Or 3 large eggs.
• 150 millilitre Boiling water

Honey whipped cream:

• 400 millilitre Double cream cold
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• Pinch of Salt

Spiced chocolate ganache filling:

• 100 grams Dark chocolate
• 120 millilitre Double cream
• 1 tablespoon Whittard Hot Honey Hot Chocolate

Decoration:

• 20 grams Dark chocolate use a potato peeler or grater to create chocolate curls
• Handful of Mini marshmallows

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

Start by making the Mexican hot chocolate cake:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional. Grease and line the base and sides of two 8-inch round cake tins with baking paper. TOP TIP: use cake strips to bake cakes with a flat, even top.
• In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together until combined. Make a well in the middle.
  330 grams White or golden caster sugar, 375 grams Self-raising flour, 50 grams 100% cocoa powder, 50 grams Whittard Hot Honey Hot Chocolate, 1 + ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  
• In a jug, whisk all the wet ingredients together (apart from the boiling water) until combined.
  300 millilitre Vegetable or sunflower oil, 150 millilitre Whole milk, 4 medium Eggs
  
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Whisk until smooth and combined. Mix in the boiling water.
  150 millilitre Boiling water
  
• Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 40-45 minutes until risen and the sponge springs back when pressed in the middle. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes in the tin, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
  

Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache:

• Finely chop the dark chocolate and place it in a bowl.
  100 grams Dark chocolate
  
• Add the cream and hot chocolate powder into a saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir continuously until piping hot but not boiling.
  120 millilitre Double cream, 1 tablespoon Whittard Hot Honey Hot Chocolate
  
• Pour over the chopped chocolate and cover the bowl with an upside plate to trap the heat inside. Leave for 1 minute.
  
• Stir until the ganache looks smooth, combined, and glossy. Ganache looking split or slimy? Stir in a tablespoon of double cream to bring it back together again.
  

Make the honey whipped cream:

• Pour the cream into a bowl, add the honey and salt. Whisk until it reaches soft, cloud-like peaks. Take care not to overwhisk, otherwise the cream will split. If this happens, just whisk in 2-3 tablespoons of cream to bring it back together.
  400 millilitre Double cream, 1 tablespoon Honey, Pinch of Salt
  
• Fill a large piping bag with half of the cream and cut off the end to make a 1-inch hole.

Assemble and decorate:

• Place one cake layer on a cake stand. Spread a thin layer of cream on top.
• Pipe three rings of cream around the outside. Fill the middle with the spiced chocolate ganache.
  
• Place the second cake layer on top. Spoon the remaining whipped cream on top and spread it to the edges.
  
• Scatter the chocolate curls and mini marshmallows on top to finish!
  20 grams Dark chocolate, Handful of Mini marshmallows
  

Video

Notes