Rose's Heavenly Cakes (66 page)

Cool and Unmold the Cakes

Let the cakes cool in the molds for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they appear to have pulled away slightly from the edges. Carefully invert each mold onto a nonstick pan, coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray, or a pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil. Gently tug on the molds until the cakes release completely. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cool or up to overnight.

When ready to serve, use a thin metal pancake turner to lift each cake onto an individual plate. Reheat each cake for 10 to 15 seconds on high power in the microwave until warm to the touch. To double-check, you can insert a wire cake tester in the center and, if it's warm, the chocolate center will be flowing. Serve with a smile and a spoon and perhaps a dash of cocoa powder. Once baked and unmolded, the cakes keep, covered, for 1 day, refrigerated.

Special Equipment

Mary Ann or shortcake pan with 6 cavities, or six 10-ounce (4 by 2-inches) Pyrex dessert dishes coated with baking spray with flour. (If using the dessert dishes, set them on a baking sheet.)

Preheat the Oven

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

Prepare the Butter

In a medium microwavable bowl or saucepan, warm the butter until almost hot (110° to 120°F/40° to 50°C). Stir in the vanilla, cover, and keep warm.

Beat the Eggs

In the bowl of a stand mixer set over a pan of simmering water, heat the eggs, yolk, and sugar until just lukewarm to the touch, stirring constantly with a long-handled whisk to prevent curdling.

Immediately remove the bowl to the stand mixer and attach the whisk beater. Beat on high speed for a minimum of 5 minutes. It will more than quadruple in volume and be very thick and airy. (A handheld mixer will take at least 10 minutes.) Remove almost ½ cup of the beaten egg mixture and whisk it thoroughly into the melted butter.

Make the Batter

Sift about half the flour over the remaining egg mixture and, with a large balloon whisk, slotted skimmer, or silicone spatula, fold it in gently but rapidly until almost all the flour has disappeared. Repeat with the remaining flour until all traces of flour have disappeared.

Fold in the butter mixture until just incorporated. With a silicone spatula, reach into the bottom of the pan to be sure to moisten all the flour.

Fill the Pan

Pour the batter into the prepared cavities. It will be ¾ inch from the top of each Mary Ann pan. In the Pyrex dishes, it will be one-third full.

Bake the Cakes

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and the cakes start to shrink slightly from the sides of the cavities. In the Pyrex dessert dishes, the cakes will puff slightly, but will not pull away from the sides. The cakes will rise in the center to a little above the sides of the pans and then sink slightly when baked fully. Avoid opening the oven door before the minimum baking time as these fragile cakes could fall. Test toward the end of baking by opening the oven door a crack and if the cakes don't appear done, continue baking another 5 minutes.

Unmold and Cool the Cakes

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 a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Immediately loosen the sides of the cakes with a small metal spatula. Place the wire rack on top of the pan and invert it. The Pyrex dishes need to be inverted individually. Cool completely.

Make the Syrup

In a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, stir together the sugar and water until all the sugar is moistened. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Cover at once and remove from the heat. Cool completely. Transfer the syrup to a measuring cup with a spout and stir in the liqueur. If the syrup has evaporated slightly, add water to equal ½ cup of syrup.

Apply the Syrup

When the cakes are cool, if you baked the cakes in dessert dishes, leave them inverted and use a small sharp knife to cut a ¼- to 3/8-inch-deep circle out of the center of the cakes, leaving a ¼-inch-wide rim around the outer edges of the cakes. The cakes baked in the Mary Ann pans get their center depression from the shape of the pan. Brush the cakes all over the sides and centers with the syrup, especially on the sides and on top of the borders. There will be 4 teaspoons of syrup for each little cake.

Make the Apricot Glaze

Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a small bowl.

In a small saucepan (or in a heatproof glass measure if using a microwave on high power), heat the apricot jelly until bubbling. Pass it through the prepared strainer. Add the brandy as necessary to achieve a thick consistency that is just barely pourable.

Apply the Glaze

With a small, clean artist's paintbrush or pastry brush, brush the glaze onto the cakes, covering the sides and top borders well to keep them from drying out.

Make the Chocolate Cream Filling

Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a small glass mixing bowl.

In a small saucepan (or in a microwavable 2-cup heatproof glass measure if using a microwave on high power), heat the chocolate and cream until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling.

In a small heavy saucepan, using a silicone spatula, stir together the yolk, sugar, and salt until well blended.

Stir a few tablespoons of the hot chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture. Gradually add the remaining chocolate mixture, stirring constantly. Heat the mixture to just below the boiling point to prevent curdling (170° to 180°F/76° to 82°C), stirring constantly. Steam will begin to appear, and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. It will leave a well-defined track when a finger is run across the spatula. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened cream that settles on the bottom of the pan. Press it through the strainer and stir in the vanilla.

Pour the chocolate cream into a heatproof glass measure and carefully fill each depression in the cakes up to the very top. Cover the cakes, still on the wire rack, with a large cake pan or bowl and allow the mixture to set before applying the drizzle glaze. (To speed setting, put the rack in the refrigerator.)

Make the Chocolate Drizzle Glaze

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.

Pour the cream on top of the chocolate and stir until smooth. The mixture should drop thickly from a spoon. If too thin, allow it to cool for a few minutes.

Apply the Glaze

Pour the mixture into a disposable pastry bag, or a freezer-weight resealable pint- or quart-size plastic bag, and close it securely. Use it at once to pipe onto the cakes. (If using the resealable plastic bag, cut off a very small corner from the bag.) Transfer the cakes to a large plate or individual serving plates, or set a piece of aluminum foil under the wire rack to catch the falling glaze. Drizzle lines of chocolate back and forth over the tops of the cakes, first in one direction (front to back) and then the other (side to side) to form a lacy design of chocolate webbing.