Title: Deep Chocolate Torte With Coffee Buttercream
Categories: Desserts, Chocolate
Yield: 1 servings
Cake layers:
14 lg Eggs; separated
1 3/4 c Sugar
9 oz Bittersweet chocolate;
- melted and cooled
Buttercream:
1 c Sugar
2 lg Eggs
1 1/2 c Unsalted butter; softened
3 tb Instant espresso;
- dissolved in:
1 tb Water; hot
Ganache:
1 1/2 c Heavy cream
6 oz Bittersweet chocolate;
- chopped fine
Assembly:
3/4 c Apricot preserves; heated to
- lukewarm
Chocolate coffee beans;
- for decoration
Line 2 greased jelly-roll pans, 15x10x1" each, with wax paper and
butter and flour the paper, shaking off excess. In a large bowl
with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks. Add slowly 1-1/2 cups
sugar, beating, and beat the mixture until it is thick and pale and
forms a ribbon. Add the chocolate and combine the batter well.
In another large bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until
they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar slowly, and
beat until whites hold stiff peaks. Stir a fourth of the whites
into the yolk mixture, fold in remaining whites gently but
thoroughly, and pour the batter into the pans, spreading it evenly.
Bake the cake layers in the middle of a preheated 375 F oven for
18-20 minutes or until pick test. Let cake layers cool in the pans,
covered with kitchen towels on large racks. Invert the cake layers
onto the racks and remove the wax paper carefully.
Buttercream:
In a small heavy saucepan, dissolve sugar in 1/3 cup water over
moderate heat, stirring. Bring mixture to a boil, and boil it until
it registers 240 F on a candy thermometer.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs until they are
frothy. Add sugar syrup in a thin stream, beating, and beat the
mixture until it is cool. Beat in the butter, 1 tb at a time. Beat
in espresso powder and a pinch of salt. Beat the buttercream until
it is combined well. If necessary, chill the buttercream, covered,
until it is firm enough to spread.
Ganache:
In a large heavy saucepan, bring cream just to a boil and remove
from heat. Add chocolate and stir until it is smooth. Transfer
mixture to a bowl and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until
it is cool and thickened. Do not let it solidify. Beat the mixture
until it just forms soft peaks, but do not overbeat.
Assembly:
Force preserves through a fine sieve into a bowl. Transfer the cake
layers to a work surface. Trim edges and halve each layer
lengthwise. On a serving plate, arrange one layer, spread with a
third of the preserves, and spread a third of the ganache over the
preserves. Top with another layer and proceed with the preserves,
ganache and cake in the same manner, ending with a cake layer on
top. Spread the sides and top of the cake with a thin layer of
buttercream an chill for 30 minutes.
Spread on additional buttercream, leaving about 1/3 cup to make
rosettes. With a pastry comb or tines of a fork, score the
buttercream lengthwise. Draw the back of a knife crosswise across
the scored buttercream at intervals. Transfer the remaining
buttercream to a small pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip.
Pipe rosettes on top of the torte along the long sides and
intersperse the rosettes with chocolate coffee beans. Chill.
Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.
