Mike van de Elzen: Chocolate cakes in a salted caramel sauce

Chocolate cakes in a salted caramel sauce (serves 6-8)
Chocolate cake
½ vegetable oil
250ml cream
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup cocoa
1¾ cups plain flour
½ cup natural almonds
½ cup walnut pieces
½ cup dried blueberries or similar
300ml mascarpone
Preheat oven to 180*C. Lightly spray a 6-hole muffin tray. Place oil in a large mixing bowl and, stirring with a whisk, add the next 8 ingredients, one at a time in the order listed, until combined. Sift together cocoa and flour and add to the wet mix. Whisk well to combine (the mixture should be quite runny). Divide evenly between the muffin tins and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tins, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Place the cakes in a large casserole dish or baking tray with high sides.
Salted caramel sauce
1 cup caster sugar
100g butter, cut into small cubes
150mls cream
1 tsp salt
Pour the sugar into a heavy pan and allow to melt down over a low heat. When melted, turn up the heat and allow to bubble until you achieve a nut brown caramel color. Carefully whisk in the butter a bit at a time. Now whisk in the cream and return to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, add salt to taste.
To serve
Pour the salted caramel sauce around the cakes and top with almonds, walnut pieces and dried blueberries. Place the dish on the stovetop and heat until the sauce is boiling. Boil the sauce for a couple of minutes then carefully remove from heat. Serve the cakes with lashings of the caramel sauce and a dollop of mascarpone.

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