Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (8 page)

1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate

2 teaspoons dry powdered (not granular) instant espresso or other powdered instant coffee

5 tablespoons fine, dry bread crumbs

8 ounces (2¼ cups) walnuts

7 eggs (graded large, or 6 if they are extra-large or jumbo, preferably at room temperature)

Pinch of salt

1 cup granulated sugar

Optional: 3½ ounces (generous 1 cup) walnuts, cut into small pieces (to be used after the cake is iced)

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch round layer-cake pans, line the bottoms with baking-pan liner paper or wax paper cut to fit, butter the paper, dust with flour, invert pans over paper and tap lightly to shake out excess and set aside.

The chocolate and nuts must be ground to a fine powder. This may be done in a food processor, a blender, or a nut grinder. If you use a food processor or a blender, the chocolate should first be coarsely chopped.

If you are using a processor, fit it with the steel blade and place the chopped chocolate in the bowl. Process until it is fine. Then add the dry coffee, and bread crumbs and process until fine. Now add the nuts and process, but be careful not to overdo it; walnuts are oily and if you process too long they will turn to nut butter (stop the machine before the nuts become oily).

If you are using a blender, follow the same directions but it will have to be done in several batches instead of all at once.

If you are using a nut grinder, grind the chocolate, then the nuts, and mix them together in a bowl with the coffee and bread crumbs.

Set the mixture aside.

Place the whole eggs, salt, and sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at high speed for 15 minutes until the mixture is very pale and forms a wide ribbon when the beaters are raised.

Now, to add the ground dry ingredients without overbeating, use the lowest speed, add the dry
ingredients gradually but not too slowly, and as you do, scrape the bottom of the bowl constantly with a rubber spatula. Beat for only 2 or 3 seconds. Then remove the bowl from the mixer and use the rubber spatula to finish folding the egg mixture and the dry ingredients together. Fold only until they are incorporated.

Divide the mixture among the prepared pans—if necessary tilt the pans gently to level the batters—and place in the oven, being sure that you do not place one pan directly over another.

Bake for 30 minutes until the tops barely spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip (but the cake is so light, do not expect it to feel firm to the touch). The layers will rise and then shrink during baking.

Remove from the oven and immediately, with a small, sharp knife, carefully cut around the sides of the pans to release the layers. Cover each pan with a rack, invert, remove pan, cover with another rack and invert again, leaving the layers right side up to cool. Do not remove wax paper linings until the cakes are cool. Then peel the papers off carefully.

While the layers are cooling, prepare the buttercream.

HUNGARIAN CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water

1 teaspoon dry instant espresso or other dry instant coffee

1 cup granulated sugar

½ pound (2 sticks) sweet butter

5 egg yolks

1 tablespoon rum or Cognac

Coarsely chop the chocolate or break it into small pieces and set aside.

Remove the top of a large double boiler. Place the boiling water and the coffee in it and stir to dissolve, then stir in the sugar. Place over direct moderate heat and stir with a wooden spatula until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Wash down the sides with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to remove any undissolved sugar granules. Boil without stirring for 1 minute.

Add the chocolate and immediately place over the bottom of the double boiler partially filled with hot water on moderate heat, and stir only until the chocolate is barely melted

Remove from the hot water and set aside, stirring frequently, until the chocolate cools to tepid, or warm.

Meanwhile, in the small bowl of the electric mixer, cream the butter.

Add the egg yolks one or two at a time, scraping the bowl and beating until smooth after each addition. Beat in the rum or Cognac.

When the chocolate is tepid, add it gradually (about ½ cup at a time) to the butter and egg mixture, scraping the bowl with a spatula and beating until smooth after each addition.

Now, if the buttercream is not too soft it may be used immediately. But if the chocolate was not cool enough when it was added, the buttercream may be too soft. If so, place it (in the bowl with the beaters) in the freezer or refrigerator. Chill briefly, stirring frequently, only until thickened but not firm. Then beat again until smooth and the consistency of thick mayonnaise.

To ice the cake: Cut four strips of wax paper and place them around the outer edges of a flat cake platter. Place one layer of the cake, upside down, on the platter, checking to be sure that the papers touch the cake all around.

If you have a cake-decorating turntable or a lazy Susan, place the cake platter on it.

If you are going to decorate the cake with a pastry bag, reserve about ½ cup of the buttercream. Spread some of the remaining buttercream about ¼ inch thick over the cake. Cover with another layer upside down and more buttercream. Cover with the top layer, placing it upside down.

Spread the rest all over the sides and then the top. (It may be spread smoothly or in swirls, but if you are going to decorate the cake, spread it smoothly, using a long, narrow metal spatula.)

The optional walnuts are for coating the sides of the cake. Hold a generous amount in the palm of your right hand, hold your hand very close to the cake, and turn your palm toward the cake, pressing the nuts gently into the sides of the buttercream. Some of the nuts will fall down onto the plate. That’s O.K. After you have pressed them all around the cake, use a long, narrow metal spatula to pick up the nuts that fell and, with the spatula, press them into any empty spots.

If you are going to decorate the cake with the reserved buttercream, fit a small pastry bag with a medium-size star tube (about #4), fold back a deep cuff on the outside of the bag, place the bag in an upright jar or tall glass to support it, transfer the buttercream to the bag, then unfold the cuff and close the top of the bag.

Now, press out a circle of even rosettes touching one another all around the top rim of the cake.

Remove the four wax paper strips by gently pulling each one out toward a narrow end.

Gorgeous?

This cake may be served very soon or it may stand for several hours or overnight at room temperature. But it should not be served refrigerated; if it is refrigerated the buttercream becomes too firm. The cake should be served at room temperature. (However, if the room is extremely warm and you want to refrigerate the cake, remove it from the refrigerator long enough before serving for the buttercream to soften again.)

To make this way ahead of time for freezing: Freeze it (on the cake platter) before wrapping, then wrap securely with plastic wrap. To thaw, let it stand at room temperature for about an hour before removing the wrapping. If you have decorated it with buttercream rosettes, be very careful not to scar them as you remove the wrapping. Then let the cake stand several hours longer until completely thawed.

Brauner Kirschenkuchen Brown Cherry Cake

8 t
O 10
P
ORTIONS

Wunderbar!
This is an old German classic recipe for a typically European torte: a single layer, not too sweet, extra-moist sour cherry nut cake made without flour. Not as
“schokolade”
as many other cakes in this collection. Best when it is very fresh.

1 1-pound can red sour pitted cherries packed in water (approximately 1 ¾ cups cherries, drained)

3 ounces (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate

7½ ounces (1½ cups) almonds, blanched or unblanched

⅓ cup fine, dry bread crumbs

6 ounces (1½ sticks) sweet butter

¼ teaspoon almond extract

¾ cup granulated sugar

5 eggs (graded large, extra-large, or jumbo)

Pinch of salt

Confectioners sugar (to be used before serving)

Adjust rack one-third up from bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9-inch cake pan that is 2 inches deep, or a 9-inch spring form either 2 or 3 inches deep (although the finished cake is only 1½ inches high, it rises slightly during baking and then settles down). Butter the pan, line it with baking-pan liner paper or wax paper cut to fit, butter the paper, and dust all over with fine, dry bread crumbs (these are in addition to those called for in the ingredients). Invert the pan over paper and tap lightly to shake out excess crumbs. Set the prepared pan aside.

Drain the cherries in a strainer (you will not use the liquid) and then spread them out in a single layer on several thicknesses of paper towels. Let stand.

The chocolate and the almonds must be ground to a fine powder. This may be done in a food processor fitted with a steel blade or in a blender or a nut grinder. If you use a processor or a blender, the chocolate should be coarsely chopped first. If you are using a processor, place the chocolate, almonds, and bread crumbs in the bowl all together and process until fine. In a blender or nut grinder, grind the chocolate and then the almonds and stir them together with the bread crumbs. Set aside.

Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the almond extract. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sugar and add the rest to the butter and beat to mix well.

Separate 3 of the eggs; place the whites in the small bowl of the electric mixer and set aside.

Add the 3 yolks all together to the creamed butter mixture and beat well. Then add the 2 whole eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating well after each addition.

On low speed mix in the dry ingredients. Remove from the mixer.

Add the salt to the 3 egg whites in the small bowl of the mixer. Use clean beaters and beat until the whites hold a soft shape. Reduce the speed to moderate and gradually add the reserved 2 tablespoons of sugar. Then increase the speed to high again and beat until the whites hold a definite shape but are not stiff or dry.

Stir 1 large spoonful of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in one-third of the remaining whites, and then fold in all the rest.

Turn into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Now place the drained cherries in a single layer all over the top of the batter.

Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and dry. (During baking the cherries will partially sink into the top, leaving a bumpy surface.)

Let stand for about half an hour.

Cut around the sides to release (the cherries on the edge might stick). Then cover with a rack and invert, remove the pan and paper lining, cover with another rack and invert again, leaving the cake right side up to cool.

Serve at room temperature.

Before serving sprinkle confectioners sugar through a fine strainer over the top of the cake.