#Chocolate Pine Cone #Cake: I call this the “infamous” cake, as my Son (who just turned 25) has been asking for this as his birthday cake, since he was 10 years old! The recipe is from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Cake Bible”, and I have yet to make a cake from this book that isn’t divine! If you don’t have this cook book, get it (and any other of the “bible” cook books from Beranbaum, they are all wonderful). Back to the “Pine Cone”… It is pictured in all its’ glory on the glossy pages of this book, and as soon as my then young son saw it he wanted it. I think it was more of a challenge to him. Back then this cake seemed much too complicated for my baking/candy making experience, so instead I made him the cake on the facing page; the Buche de Noel Christmas Log (his Birthday IS right after Christmas) – he wasn’t impressed, or amused. So it has become a tradition that every year he requests this cake… and I never make it! Except this year – I made him the damn cake! Either my skills have improved over the last 15 years or this cake just looked complicated, because I have to admit it wasn’t as difficult as it looked and it turned out as wonderful and decadent as every other “Cordon Rose” cake that I have attempted. Tedious making all those pine cone “petals”, yes, but not difficult at all. The cake is a light Chocolate cloud cake, made with no flour; the frosting is a dark chocolate ganache and the “petals” are made of bittersweet tempered chocolate studded with pine nuts, of course! And the birthday boy - He was very surprised and very appreciative! Here’s the #recipe! For the Chocolate Cloud Cake ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 6 eggs separated 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted 1/3 cup finely ground almonds ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar 1 tablespoon Unsweetened cocoa powder To make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Line one 17 x 12 inch jelly roll pan, greased, bottom lined with foil (extended over the sides) and then greased again and floured. In a mixing bowl beat ¼ cup sugar and the egg yolks for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate and the almonds and beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides. In another large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. With a large balloon whisk or a rubber spatula fold ¼ of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading evenly with a spatula. Bake 16 minutes. The cake will have puffed and lost its shine and will spring back when lightly pressed. Remove the cake from the oven and dust with the cocoa. Cover immediately with a clean towel and allow the cake to cool. When ready to assemble, remove the towel and lift with the foil onto a flat surface. For the Ganache Frosting 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate 1 2/3 cups heavy cream ¼ cup butter (softened) 2 tablespoons cognac To Make the Ganache Frosting: break the chocolate into pieces (if you are not using chips) and process in a food processor until very fine. Heat the cream to the boiling point and, with the motor running, pour the cream through the feed tube in a steady stream; process a few seconds until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Gently stir in the butter and the cognac. Allow to cool in the refrigerator until of frosting consistency. To make the Pine Cone Petals: Make these while the cake is cooling and the ganache is setting up. Quick-temper 6-8 ounces milk or bitter sweet chocolate. Put a sheet of parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Dip the tip of a small metal spatula in the chocolate and dab it onto the parchment pressing lightly down to form a tapered petal shap while drawing the spatula towards you (it might take a couple tries to get the hang of this). Continue until all the chocolate is used. Let these set in the refrigerator until set. To Assemble the Cake: Draw a free-form 11 x 8 inch oval on a piece of cardboard, tapering it slightly to resemble a pine cone, cut this out. Use the oval and a sharp knife to cut 2 ovals from the Chocolate Cloud Roll. Remove the scraps and stir them into the ganache. Carefully slide a long metal spatula under the ovals to dislodge them. Set the first oval on your serving plate (use strips of waxed paper around the cake that you can remove when done decorating, to keep the plate clean). Spread half the ganache on the cake and top with the second oval. Spread the remaining ganache on the top and sides, mounding it slightly in the center. Insert the Chocolate pine cone petals, staring at the tapered end and staggering each row. Place some whole pine nuts under some of the petals. Optional: Dust finished cake with a combination of cocoa and powdered sugar. Refrigerate overnight, serve at room temperature. #recipe #Chocolate #Cake #Ganache
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 01:47:57 +0000
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