Chocolate Amatller Barcelona Centenario
Alphonse Mucha
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La Belle Cuisine - More Chocolate Treats

   Fine Cuisine with Art Infusion

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Deep Chocolate Torte with Coffee Buttercream

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

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Cafe Caffe
Isaac Maimon
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Deep Chocolate Torte with Coffee Buttercream
Gourmet October 1989

 For the cake layers:
14 large eggs, separated, the whites at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
9 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

For the buttercream:
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter softened
3 tablespoons instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

For the ganache:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3/4 cup apricot preserves or red currant jelly, heated to lukewarm
Chocolate coffee beans for decoration

Make the cake layers:  In a large bowl with an  electric mixer beat the yolks, add slowly 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, beating, and beat the mixture until it is thick and pale and forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted.  Add the chocolate and combine the batter well.  In another large bowl with clean beaters beat the whites until they hold soft peaks, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar slowly, and beat the mixture until it just holds stiff peaks.  Stir one fourth of the whites into the batter and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly.  Line 2 greased 15-by-10-inch jelly-roll pans with buttered and floured wax paper and pour the batter into the pans, spreading it evenly.  Bake the cake layers in the middle of a preheated 375-degreeF. oven for 18
to 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Let the 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.
Make the buttercream:  In a small heavy saucepan dissolve the sugar in 1/3 cup water over moderate heat, stirring, bring the mixture to a boil, and boil it until it registers 240 degrees F. on a candy thermometer.  In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the eggs until they are frothy, add the sugar syrup in a thin stream, beating, and beat the mixture until it is cool.  Beat in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, the espresso mixture, and a pinch of salt, and beat the buttercream until it is combined well.  If necessary, chill the buttercream, covered, until it is firm enough to spread.
Make the ganache:  In a large heavy saucepan bring the cream just to a boil and remove the pan from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir the mixture until it is smooth.  Transfer the mixture until it is smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and chill it, covered, until it is cold, but do not let it solidify.  Beat the mixture until it just forms soft peaks, but do not overbeat
it or it will become granular.
Assemble the torte:  Transfer the cake layers to a work surface, trim the edges, and halve each cake layer lengthwise.  On a serving plate arrange one of the cake layers, spread the layer with one third of the preserves, and spread one third of the ganache over the preserves.  Top the ganache with another cake layer and layer the remaining preserves, ganache and cake layers in the same manner, ending with a cake layer.  Spread the sides and top of the cake with a very thin layer of the buttercream and chill the torte for 30 minutes.  Spread the sides and top of the torte with some of the remaining buttercream, reserving about 1/3 cup of it for making rosettes, and with a pastry comb or the tines of a fork score the buttercream lengthwise.  Draw the back of a knife crosswise across the scored buttercream at intervals.  Transfer the reserved buttercream to a small pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip, pipe rosettes, on top of the cake along the long sides, and intersperse the rosettes with the chocolate coffee beans.  The torte may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered loosely and chilled.  Remove the torte from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
 

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