Mozart Cake

HeatherFeather's Note:

This is one version of a famous cake that originated in Austria and is modelled after the Mozartkugeln chocolate marzipan truffles. This is an elegant, elaborate cake that takes lots of time and some degree of skill to prepare, but is well worth the extra effort.Translated & adapted from "Kochen & Geniessen" magazine, directly from the German. If you are serving this to adults and want even more Mozartkugeln flavor -lightly brush the cooled cake layers with some Mozart Liqueur before stacking. In Germany, marzipan is often sold unsweetened in the baking aisle, in which case, you will need to add powdered sugar to it (which will absorb into the marzipan as you knead it). In the US, marzipan is often available already sweetened, in which case you can omit the powdered sugar, or add some to taste.

• Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 4 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

For the Cake Batter:

• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup flour, plus
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch, plus
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For Chocolate Ganache Filling:

• 2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 1 1/4 cups good quality milk chocolate chips (8 oz)
• 1 (4 ounce) good quality semisweet chocolate bars, grated, divided use
• 2 tablespoons unsalted pistachios, finely chopped

For Decorations:

• 1 (7 ounce) package marzipan paste or 1 (7 ounce) package almond paste (you might not use all of it)
• green food coloring paste (optional)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 packet vanilla sugar (approximately 3/4 Tablespoon)
• powdered sugar, to taste only if needed

Directions:

1. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry, gradually adding granulated sugar.
2. Next, mix in the egg yolks one at a time, just enough to combine.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and cornstarch; gradually & gently fold into the egg mixture to combine - be careful not to deflate the egg whites by overmixing.
4. Line a large nonstick springform pan with parchment paper and fill with the batter.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F (175 C or gas mark 2) for 30 minutes - it will only rise up partway.
6. Let cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup of the cream in a small pan over medium-low heat, then stir in the milk chocolate until it melts and is smooth(takes about 5 minutes.)
8. Remove pan from heat and let cool for 1 hour at room temperature.
9. Finely grate the bittersweet chocolate using a microplane grater and divide into two portions.
10. Beat 1 1/2 cups of the cream until stiff peaks form.
11. Stir chopped nuts and half (one portion) of the grated chocolate gently into the cooled melted chocolate mixture.
12. Gently fold together the whipped cream and the cooled melted chocolate mixture until just combined.
13. Remove ring from springform pan and carefully slice the cake into three even (very thin)layers using a large serrated knife.
14. Place one cake layer on a large plate, spread with 1/3 of the chocolate ganache, then top with another cake layer, another layer of 1/3 of the ganache, followed by another cake layer.
15. Spread the remaining chocolate ganache mixture all over the top and sides of the cake.
16. Chill for 2 hours.
17. Knead the marzipan(with enough powdered sugar to make it sweet if unsweetened) until well blended and soft like playdough, this takes about 5-10 minutes by hand (optional: you may use food coloring paste to dye the marzipan green if desired.)
18. Place marzipan between two sheets of wax papper and roll out into very flat circle, about the size of your springform pan.
19. Set a plate on top of the marzipan and use the plate as a guide to cut out a perfect circle; then cut circle into 16 triangles.
20. Set the marzipan triangles in a spiral around the top of the chilled cake, pressing down slightly so they stick - there should be very narrow gaps between each triangle - if desired, curl up the pointy tips decoratively first.
21. Coat the sides of the cake with some the remaining grated chocolate (save just a bit to sprinkle on top later).
22. Beat the remaining 3/4 cups of cream with the vanilla sugar to taste until stiff peaks form.
23. Shortly before serving, garnish cake with swirls of the whipped vanilla cream, the remaining chopped nuts, and sprinkle any remaining grated chocolate on top.

Reviews

[Rob M.]

I love Mozartkugeln and was thinking of making a cake based on them! So I was really happy to find this recipe! I would recommend sprinkling the cake layers well with pistachio liqueur or syrup (Monin makes it) to heighten the pistachio flavor. Sweetened pistachio paste is available online (like almond paste, only pistachio) and would be a great ingredient for this cake, as the Mozartkugeln are made with a layer of pistachio marzipan. The paste may need some extra powdered sugar mixed in to become a marzipan that holds it shape well. But all in all this is inspiring! Thanks for the recipe and variations!

[ayhlara]

This was great. I modified the recipe a little bit based on a previous review and needing a smaller cake. I made a half recipe, cooking two layers in two 8 inch round pans, which took about 10 minutes. I brushed a little amaretto on the cake layers, and used all dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. It was delicious. I also left off the extra whipped cream and made some extra decorations out of leftover marzipan instead. I think it took me under 4 hours from start to finish, which is very reasonable for such a nice cake and fancy looking cake. My family loved all loved it.

[Rita~]

This is most definitely 5 stars! First I added to the folded cake batter (step 3) 2 tablespoons melted room temperature butter. Sliced the cooked cake into 4 layers. Then brushed on 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier on 2 layers and 2 tablespoons Almond liquour on the other 2 layers of cake. Melted raspberry preserves and spread a thin layer on the layers of the cake. I used all the ganache for the filling. For the sides and top I whipped cream and pistacho pudding. The directions instructs to mix powdered sugar to mix with the marzipan paste. Since it didn`t state how much I just tasted the marzipan and decided to and omit the sugar. I did add green food coloring to the paste. And hopefully my picture will be posted for you to see. I had lots of wonderful complements. Worth making and will make again. And it`s really not as hard as it seems to make.