Rose's Heavenly Cakes (51 page)

Plan Ahead

Make the ganache at least 2 hours before using.

Make 2 Batches

Special Equipment

Two 17¼ by 12¼ by 1-inch half-sheet pans, coated with shortening and lined with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the short sides, coated with baking spray with flour

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.

Melt the Chocolate

Heat the chocolate until almost completely melted. Use a small microwavable bowl, stirring with a silicone spatula every 15 seconds (or use the top of a double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water, stirring often—do not let the bottom of the container touch the water).

Remove the chocolate from the heat and, with the silicone spatula, stir until fully melted. Allow it to cool completely until no longer warm to the touch but still fluid.

Beat the Yolks and Sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, beat ¼ cup of the sugar with the yolks on high speed for 5 minutes, or until very thick and fluffy and when the beater is raised the mixture falls in ribbons. Scrape in the chocolate and beat on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until evenly incorporated. Be sure to reach into the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any chocolate that may be left on the bottom. If you have only one mixer bowl, scrape the mixture into a large bowl and thoroughly wash and dry the mixer bowl and whisk beater. There must be no grease in the bowl in order to enable the egg whites to become aerated when beaten.

Beat the Egg Whites into a Stiff Meringue

In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. With the beater off, add the cream of tartar. Raise the speed to medium and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Raise the speed to medium-high and gradually beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, beating until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly.

Detach the whisk beater and use it to fold one-quarter of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining meringue. Finish folding with a large silicone spatula and scrape the mixture into 1 of the prepared pans and spread the surface evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake each Cake

Bake for 16 minutes. The cake will have puffed and lost its shine and springs back when pressed lightly in the center. (Mix the batter for the second layer shortly before the first cake has finished baking so that it is ready to bake soon after the first cake comes out of the oven.)

Unmold, Cool, and Stack the Cake Layers

As they come out of the oven, set the pans on wire racks, cover them with clean dry towels, and allow them to cool completely.

Remove the towels and use a small metal spatula or knife to dislodge any cake that may have attached itself to the sides of the pans.

Gently pull the parchment away from around the edges of the cake to release them from the parchment. Carefully lift one cake layer by the short end of the parchment overhang and slide it on top of the other cake layer. The bottom layer will be sandwiched between the parchment it baked on and the parchment of the second layer. Cover the stacked layers with plastic wrap or a towel. Set the pan in the refrigerator to firm for 30 to 45 minutes while you make the ganache. (The layers are much less fragile and easier to handle when cold.)

Make the Light Whipped Ganache Filling and Topping

In a food processor, process the chopped chocolate until very fine.

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

With the motor running, pour the cream through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process for a few seconds until smooth. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and refrigerate until cold, stirring every 30 minutes for 1¾ to 2 hours. Alternatively, set the bowl in an ice water bath (see
Water Baths
) and stir frequently. Do not allow the mixture to get too cold or it will be too stiff to incorporate air. The ideal temperature is 65° to 68°F/20°C.

In the chilled bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, add the vanilla to the cream mixture and beat on low speed for about 30 seconds, or just until the mixture forms very soft floppy peaks when the beater is raised. It will continue to thicken after a few minutes at room temperature. The safest way to prevent overbeating is to use the stand mixer until the ganache starts to thicken and then continue by hand with a whisk. Overbeating causes curdling. If the mixture is overbeaten and grainy, it can be restored by remelting, chilling, and rebeating the ganache.

Trim the Cakes

Remove the pan from the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap or towel and, using the parchment overhangs, lift each layer onto a work surface. Using a long serrated knife, trim about ¼ inch from all four sides of each cake layer. (Cover and save the trimmings, in case you need them for patching the cake.) With the serrated knife or sharp shears, cut each layer, including the parchment, into two rectangles of equal width.

With a long metal spatula, preferably offset, dislodge the cake layers from the parchment by sliding it gently between the parchment and the cake layer, pressing firmly against the parchment to avoid cutting into the cake. If at any point the layers soften, chill again until firm. Leave the layers on the parchment and restack them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for up to 12 hours until ready to compose the cake.

Compose the Cake

Spread a little ganache on a serving plate or a cardboard rectangle covered with decorative foil. Slide your hands under the cake as much as possible to support it and carefully set the first layer on top of the plate. If sufficiently chilled, the layers will be firm enough to lift with your hands. Spread about 1 cup of the ganache on top of the layer (about 1/8 inch thick), repeat with the next two layers, and top the fourth layer with the remaining ganache. To spread the ganache, use two metal spatulas, one to lift the frosting from the other in order to keep the ganache from pulling off the crust and coming away from the cake while spreading. Be gentle so as not to compress the cake. Leave the sides of the cake bare. Use the block of dark chocolate to make curls (see
Chocolate Curls
) or to grate evenly and heavily over the ganache. With a bench scraper, lift any that falls on the work surface. Touching the chocolate with your fingers will melt it immediately on contact. The cake keeps for 1 day at room temperature and for up to 3 days refrigerated.

Use a long serrated or thin-bladed sharp knife to cut the cake into quarters in each direction, forming 16 pieces. If the cake has been refrigerated, run the blade under hot water between each cut. The texture is softest and the flavors fullest when the cake is at room temperature.