Chocolate cake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This cake is great if it's home made, does not compare to what is in bakeries. Maybe it is a little bit too sweet for someone, but you can reduce the amount of syrup and for the glaze you can use a mix of melted chocolate with whipped cream or butter instead of fondant (which is very sweet).
Author:
Recipe type: desert
Cuisine: Romanian
Serves: 20
Ingredients
  • Ingredients for a tray 20cm/30cm (about 20 mini cakes)
  • Cake:
  • 6 large eggs
  • 200 gr sugar (1 cup)
  • 40 ml water (1/4 cup)
  • 40 ml oil (1/4 cup)
  • 3 tbsp cocoa
  • 200 gr flour (7 oz or 1½ cup)
  • Syrup:
  • 500 ml water (I wanted it very juicy)
  • 10 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon rum
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee
  • Cream:
  • 270 gr butter (1¼ cup)
  • 200 gr dark chocolate (7 oz)
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa
  • Fondant:
  • 250 g sugar (1¼ cup)
  • 125 ml water (1/2 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 2 tablespoons water (extra)
  • Alternative glaze:
  • 150 g dark chocolate (5 oz)
  • 50 g butter (1/2 stick of butter) or 75 ml whipping cream (1/3 cup)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven at 400 F degrees.
  2. Separate the eggs, beat egg whites until stiff, then add sugar gradually and beat well until become glossy.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together egg yolks and oil until they become like a runny mayonnaise then add this to the egg whites and mix well. Add the water.
  4. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder and incorporate them with a spatula in the batter, from bottom up.
  5. Line a tray with baking paper and bake about 30 minutes until toothpick test passes.
  6. Syrup: make it while the cake is baking.
  7. Put together sugar and water to a boil and let it dissolve well. Add honey and let it boil for few more minutes (about 3 minutes). Add the instant coffee and rum essence. Let it cool thoroughly before you will soak the cake.
  8. Cream:
  9. Butter should be room temperature before you start making the filling.
  10. Melt the chocolate (in the microwave or over simmering water)
  11. Mix butter with an electric mixer until creamy, then stir in the melted chocolate (cooled). My advice is to taste the cream first and if you think that needs more sugar, add more for your taste. I've put 3 tablespoons powdered sugar. Add the cocoa and mix well. Leave it at room temperature until you will cut the sponge cake (do not refrigerate butter and chocolate mixture, it will set very hard and you wont be able to spread it on the cake :-))
  12. Cut the sponge in two layers and soak it with the syrup.
  13. Assemble cake: one piece of cake underneath then put the butter mixture and then the second layer of cake (keep 3 tbsp of butter mixture for garnish) Refrigerate it until you make the fondant. Meanwhile prepare the fondant (glaze).
  14. In a double bottom saucepan, put water and sugar and let it boil approx. 15 minutes. You must have a glass of cold water, beside you. From time to time (after about 10 min.) drip a little bit of syrup into the cold water, if it forms a hard drop like a pearl, then the the fondant is ready, let it simmer more if needed. When the pearl test passed, turn off the heat and add honey.
  15. Fill a saucepan with cold water to cool the fondant, or put cold water in the sink to cool it down. Mix with a spoon until the fondant starts to thicken (becomes viscous), and white. When becomes like that, add the cocoa and mix well.
  16. My fondant has hardened a bit too much, so if this thing happens to you, add in 2 tablespoons of water and stir well.
  17. Cut the cake into squares and pour 1 - 2 teaspoons of fondant over each piece. Let the fondant harden (possibly after 10 minutes refrigeration) then ornate the cake with the remaining butter filling (each square).
  18. Before serving, remove the cake from the fridge, 20 minutes ahead of time!
  19. Bon appetite! it is worth trying this awesome chocolate cake, is incredibly good!
Recipe by gabriela cuisine at http://gabrielacuisine.ro/amandine/