Rose's Heavenly Cakes (35 page)

Compose the Cake

Use a long serrated knife and your fingertips to remove the top crust. Remove the parchment and scrape off any remaining bottom crust.

Brush the syrup evenly on the top and bottom of the cake. The génoise is now more tender and fragile and needs to be supported by a removable tart pan bottom or cardboard round when moved.

Spread a small amount of ganache on a 9-inch cardboard round or a serving plate and set the cake on top. If using the plate, slide a few wide strips of wax paper or parchment under the cake to keep the rim of the plate clean. Frost the top and sides with the ganache. If using the paper strips, slowly slide them out from under the cake. To cut cleanly through the ganache without it cracking or pulling away from the cake, be sure to run the knife blade under hot water between each slice.

Plan Ahead

For best flavor, compose the cake 1 day ahead. Make the raspberry sauce and ganache several hours ahead.

Special Equipment

Two 9 by 2-inch round cake pans, coated with baking spray with flour, then topped with parchment rounds

Preheat the Oven

Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

Cook the Chocolate

Into a medium heavy saucepan, place the chocolate and pour the boiling water on top. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Simmer, stirring with a silicone spatula, until the chocolate thickens to a puddinglike consistency, about 5 minutes. It should fall from the spatula and pool thickly when a little is dropped on its surface. If the chocolate separates, whisking will bring it together into a smooth shiny mass. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. To speed cooling, place the pan in an ice water bath (see
Water Baths
) or uncovered in the refrigerator and whisk often. If the mixture becomes cold, bring it to room temperature before proceeding.

Beat the Eggs and Sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using a long-handled wire whisk, lightly combine the eggs and sugar. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat just until lukewarm to the touch, stirring constantly with the whisk to prevent curdling. If the eggs are at warm room temperature (80°F/26°C), there is no need to heat them for this type of génoise.

Attach the whisk beater. Beat the mixture on high speed for a minimum of 5 minutes. It will quadruple in volume and be very thick and airy. (A handheld mixer will take at least 10 minutes.)

Make the Batter

Sift one-third of the flour over the egg mixture and, with a slotted skimmer or large silicone spatula, fold it in gently but rapidly until some of the flour has been incorporated. Repeat with half the remaining flour, and then with the last of the remaining flour until all traces of the flour have disappeared. With your fingers, reach to the bottom of the bowl and press together any little pellets of flour that may have formed.

Rapidly fold in the chocolate mixture until incorporated, being sure to reach to the bottom of the bowl. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pans. Each will be about two-thirds to three-quarters full (20 ounces/570 grams).

Bake the Cakes

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the centers enters as easily as it does when inserted closer to the sides. The cakes rise almost to the tops of the pans during baking and will lower slightly when done, pulling slightly away from the sides. Avoid opening the oven door before the minimum baking time or the cakes could fall. Test toward the end of baking by opening the oven door a crack, and if the cake doesn't appear done, continue baking for another 5 minutes.

To prevent the collapse of its delicate foam structure, while still hot, the génoise must be unmolded as soon as it is baked. Have ready a small metal spatula and three wire racks that have been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Unmold and Cool the Cakes

Run the small metal spatula between the sides of the pans and the cakes, pressing firmly against the pans, and invert the cakes onto the prepared wire racks. Leaving the parchment in place, immediately reinvert them onto the racks so that the firm upper crusts keep them from sinking. Cool completely.

Make the Cocoa Syrup

In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cocoa. Add a small amount of the boiling water and whisk until all of the mixture is moistened. Then whisk in the remaining boiling water. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil on low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Whisk in the vanilla and Chambord, if using. Cover it tightly to prevent evaporation.

Make the Raspberry Sauce

In a medium strainer suspended over a deep bowl, thaw the raspberries completely. This will take several hours. (To speed thawing, place the strainer and bowl in an oven with a pilot light or turn on the oven light.) Press the berries to force out all the juice. There should be about ½ cup/4 fluid ounces of juice. Set aside the raspberries.

In a small saucepan (or in a 2-cup heatproof measure, coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray, in a microwave on high), boil the juice until it is reduced to 2 tablespoons. If using a saucepan, pour the syrup into a heatproof cup, coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Puree and strain the raspberries with a food mill fitted with the fine disk. Or use a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a bowl to remove all the seeds. You should have ½ cup/4 fluid ounces of puree. Stir in the reduced raspberry syrup and lemon juice. There should be about 2/3 cup/5 ounces/145 grams raspberry sauce. (If you have less, simply add proportionately less sugar. The correct amount of sugar is half the volume of the puree.)

Stir the sugar into the sauce until it dissolves. You will need only ½ cup/4 fluid ounces/4.7 ounces/135 grams for the ganache recipe. The sauce keeps for 10 days refrigerated and for 1 year frozen. It can be thawed and refrozen at least three times without flavor loss. If desired, use the remaining sauce to drizzle on the plates.

Make the Ganache

Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium glass bowl. In a food processor, process the dark chocolate and white chocolate until very fine.

In a 2-cup or larger microwavable cup with a spout (or in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often), scald the cream with the raspberry sauce (heat it to the boiling point; small bubbles will form around the periphery).

With the motor of the food processor running, pour the cream mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process for a few seconds until smooth. Press the ganache through the strainer and stir in the Chambord, if using. Allow it to cool for 1 hour. Cover it and cool for several hours, until the mixture reaches frosting consistency. The ganache keeps in an airtight container for 1 day at room temperature, for 10 days refrigerated, and for 6 months frozen.

Compose the Cake

With a long serrated knife and your fingertips, remove the top crusts of the cakes and set them aside. The crusts will be quite sticky. Remove the parchment and scrape off any remaining bottom crust, saving all the crumbs. The cakes will be about 1¼ inches high. Slice each layer in half horizontally.

Brush the hot cocoa syrup evenly on the tops and bottoms of the cake layers. The génoise is now more tender and fragile and needs to be supported by a removable tart pan bottom or cardboard round when moved.

Spread a little ganache onto a 9-inch cardboard round or a serving plate and set the first layer on top. If using the plate, slide a few wide strips of wax paper or parchment under the cake to keep the rim of the plate clean. Spread a very thin layer (about ½ cup) of ganache on top. Set the second layer on top and spread with ganache; continue with the remaining layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining ganache. If using the paper strips, slowly slide them out from under the cake. If desired, use the reserved cake crumbs to coat the sides. The top crust is quite sticky, but if allowed to air-dry for a few hours, it can be processed to a fine crumb. You will have about 1 cup/3.5 ounces/100 grams crumbs.