Francois
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Rafuse, Will
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La Belle Cuisine - More Chocolate Treats

   Fine Cuisine with Art Infusion

"To cook is to create. And to create well...
is an act of integrity, and faith."

Chocolate Pastry Cake

"There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE."
Linda Grayson, "The Pickwick Papers"

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Chocolate Passion
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 Chocolatier

Chocolate Pastry Cake


How to Bake: Complete Guide to Perfect
Cakes, Cookies, Pies, Tarts, Breads,
Pizzas, Muffins, Sweet adn Savory
by Nick Malgieri,1995, HarperCollins Publishers

“This dessert was created by Albert Kumin for the opening of Windows on the
World in 1976 and became one of their signature desserts. This recipe is close
to the original, but uses my recipes for the different component parts.”

Chocolate Génoise
1/3 cup cake flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
A pinch of baking soda
3 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt

One 9 x 2-inch-deep round pan, buttered, bottom lined with a disk of parchment or wax paper

1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees [F.]
2. Combine the cake flour and cornstarch and stir well to mix. Sift once and
set aside. Whisk the eggs and yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk
in the sugar in a stream, then the salt.
3. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and gently whisk until the
egg mixture is lukewarm. Whip by machine on high speed until the egg
mixture is cold and increased in volume.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the cake flour mixture over the
egg mixture, in 3 or 4 additions, fold it in with a rubber spatula. Pour the
batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top evenly with the spatula.
5. Bake the layer for about 25 minutes, until well risen and firm to the touch.
6. Loosen the layer from the sides of the pan and invert to a rack; imme-
diately re-invert to a rack so that the cake layer cools on the paper.

Storage:  Double-wrap the layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several
days or freeze for several months.

Hint for Success:  Only heat the eggs and sugar to lukewarm or they
will not whip to as great a volume and the cake will not rise well.

Chocolate Dough
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup non-alkalized unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter
4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Orange Liqueur Syrup
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup orange liqueur

Ganache
1 1/4 pounds (20 ounces) semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Six 10 1/2- x 15 1/2-inch jelly-roll pans lined with parchment paper

1. Cool the génoise.
2. To make the dough, place the flour in a mixing bowl and sift the cocoa powder over it. Stir in the sugar, salt, and baking soda. Cut the butter
into small pieces, then rub it into the dry ingredients until no pieces
show, leaving the mixture cool and powdery. Stir in only enough water
so that the dough holds together. Press the dough together, then wrap
it in plastic and chill.
3. To make the syrup, in a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a
boil. Cool and stir in the orange liqueur.
4. To make the ganache, cut the chocolate into small pieces. In a saucepan, bring the cream and butter to a boil and remove from the
heat. Add the chocolate and allow to stand for 2 minutes. Whisk
smooth and cool.
5. Set racks at the middle and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to
325 degrees [F.]
6. Divide the chilled chocolate dough into thirds and roll each to fit a prepared pan. Pierce the dough all over with a fork, cover each piece
with another piece of paper, then another pan.
7. Bake at 325 degrees until the layers are dry and crisp, about 30
minutes. Bake in several batches if necessary.
8. Remove the baked sheets to a cutting board and cut into three 9-inch circles. Use the trimmings to patch together a fourth 9-inch circle.
Crumble the scraps and reserve.
9. To assemble, beat the ganache on medium speed for 1 minute, until
light. Slice the génoise into 3 layers. Dot a piece of cardboard with a
bit of ganache, then place one of the chocolate pastry circles on it.
This is so it won’t slide. Construct the cake this way from the bottom: pastry, ganache, génoise, syrup; ganache, pastry, ganache, génoise,
syrup; ganache. Pastry, ganache, génoise, syrup; ganache, pastry.
Cover the top and sides of the cake with the ganache. Press the
crumbs into the ganache around the top and sides of the cake.

Serving:  Serve small wedges of this rich cake.

Storage:  Keep the cake loosely covered at room temperature until serving time. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate leftovers for up to a week.

Hint for Success:  Don’t be concerned if the pastry layers break while you are putting them in place on the cake – just patch them into as complete layers
 as possible.
 

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