Bruno's Chocolate Cake
Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
Serves: 12
Ingredients
Cake
- 9 eggs, separated, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1⁄2 cup sugar
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (3/4 stick)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1⁄2 ounces amaretti, finely ground (Italian macaroons)
Chocolate Cream
- 1⁄2 cup hot water
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1 ounce amaretti, finely ground
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
- 3 ounces white chocolate, melted
- unsweetened cocoa powder, to decorate
- chocolate leaves, to decorate
- chocolate, balls (small)
Directions
- For cake:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Butter and flour three 9 inch round cake pans.
- Beat yolks until lightand slowly disolving ribbon forms when beaters are lifted.
- Stir in rum and vanilla.
- Beat whites with cream of tartar in large bowl to soft peaks.
- Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time and continue beating until stiff and shiny.
- Stir chocolate and butter into yolks until well combined.
- Gently fold in 1/4 of egg whites, then fold chocolate mixture into remaining whites.
- Sift together cornstarch and cocoa powder; combine with amaretti;gently fold into batter.
- Divide batter among prepared pans.
- Bake until centers of cakes rise and begin to crack, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Cool 10 minutes in pan, then cool completely on wire rack.
- For chocolate cream;.
- Whisk 1/2 cup hot water into 4 oz. melted semisweet chocolate.
- Cool to room temperature.
- Whip cream until stiff peaks form; gently fold chocolate mixture, amaretti and rum into whipped cream.
- To Assemble:
- Reserve 1/4 of chocolate cream for decorating top of cake.
- Spread remainder evenly between layers and over top and sides.
- Measure height of cake.
- On sheet of parchment spread 3 oz. melted semisweet chocolate into 1/16 inch-thick rectangle as wide as cake is high.
- Repeat with melted white chocolate on another sheet of parchment.
- Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, but not brittle, about 15 minutes.
- Cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide strips.
- Refrigerate to refirm chocolate, about 15 minutes.
- Carefully arrange strips alternating around edges of cake,gently pressing into icing.
- Spoon remaining pastry cream into a pastry bag fitted with a No. 3 plain tip.
- Pipe mixture in straight lines atop cake.
- Dust lightly with cocoa powder; Refrigerate.
- Cake may be prepared 1 day ahead.
- Decorate with chocolate leaves and balls.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
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