This was a smashing good cake! Happy Birthday Simone!Came from the Williams-Sonoma Mastering Series, Cakes, Fillings and Frosting, by Elinor Klivans. If mastering means overcomplicating and producing over the top rich food… the original recipe was bang on. Listed as a sponge but in fact this is a classic foam cake. Culinary texts' list foam cakes as a type of sponge, but I strongly disagree with this classification. Sponge cakes require some type of leavening agent, but in the case of foam cakes the leavening rests entirely on beating up the egg yolks and the egg whites with sugar [separately!] and then carefully folding them into the flour using a wooden spoon so as not to deflate the air that was beaten into them. This part simply cannot be done with a beater.
Foam cakes should be soft and fluffy and soaking them in syrup is completely unnecessary. Using 3-1/2 cups of butter, 16oz of chocolate, sugar, soaking syrup and corn syrup would have made this cake unpalatably rich and overly sweet. The original recipe may pass on a petits fours tray, but not as a birthday cake. So cutting the butter and the chocolate in half and leaving out the soaking syrup was a good call.
CLASSIC BIRTHDAY CAKE
Cake:
1 cup cake flour, siftedpinch of salt
6 eggs, separated, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream:
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
1/8 cup water
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
3/4 cup unsalted butter, in 10 equal pieces, soft
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 squares [4oz] semisweet chocolate, melted
candy thermometer is essential
Chocolate Frosting:
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
1/8 cup water
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
3/4 cup unsalted butter, in 10 equal pieces, soft
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 squares [4oz] semisweet chocolate, melted
candy thermometer is essential
Chocolate Frosting:
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/2 cup unsalted butter, soft
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 cup whipping cream, room temperature
• Important: Follow instruction and resist the urge to change. If your cake is not soft and fluffy, you didn't follow instruction.
1/2 cup unsalted butter, soft
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 cup whipping cream, room temperature
• Important: Follow instruction and resist the urge to change. If your cake is not soft and fluffy, you didn't follow instruction.
• Preheat the oven 350F.
• Lightly spray or butter two 9-inch spring form cake pans.
• Line the bottom and the sides of both pans with parchment paper.
• Lightly spray the parchment with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes.
• Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
• Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Gradually and very gently fold the egg whites into the yolks with a wooden spoon. Do not deflate!
• Gradually and gently fold the sifted flour mixture into the egg mixture with the wooden spoon. Adding the dry ingredients in small amounts prevents their weight deflating the egg mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
• Bake the cakes undisturbed for 20 minutes or until the tops feel firm.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes.
• Run a thin knife along the inside edge of each pan to loosen the cake, keeping the knife pressed against the side.
• Unhook the spring mechanism and move the cake to a wire rack to cool.
• Repeat with the second layer.
• Let cakes cool completely. If not using the cake layers right away, tightly wrap the cooled cake layers individually in plastic wrap and store them at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Using a small pan melt the chocolate on the lowest of temperature and set aside.
• In deep bowl whisk to blend the egg whites and cream of tartar until the cream of tartar dissolves.
• Set the bowl aside.
• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the 1/3 cup sugar, 1/8 cup water and the corn syrup.
• Heat on low heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Occasionally stir with a wooden spoon.
• Increase the heat to high and let the syrup bubble vigorously, without stirring, until it is smooth and thick and registers 240F on a candy thermometer.
• Remove pot from the heat. and set aside.
• Beat the egg white mixture with the 2 Tbsp sugar on medium speed until foamy for 1 minute.
• Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating the egg whites until they look white, shiny and smooth and soft peaks form when the whip is lifted.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and carefully pour the hot syrup in a thin stream in the space between the whip and the sides of the bowl; the bowl will feel hot to the touch.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
• Bake the cakes undisturbed for 20 minutes or until the tops feel firm.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes.
• Run a thin knife along the inside edge of each pan to loosen the cake, keeping the knife pressed against the side.
• Unhook the spring mechanism and move the cake to a wire rack to cool.
• Repeat with the second layer.
• Let cakes cool completely. If not using the cake layers right away, tightly wrap the cooled cake layers individually in plastic wrap and store them at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Using a small pan melt the chocolate on the lowest of temperature and set aside.
• In deep bowl whisk to blend the egg whites and cream of tartar until the cream of tartar dissolves.
• Set the bowl aside.
• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the 1/3 cup sugar, 1/8 cup water and the corn syrup.
• Heat on low heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Occasionally stir with a wooden spoon.
• Increase the heat to high and let the syrup bubble vigorously, without stirring, until it is smooth and thick and registers 240F on a candy thermometer.
• Remove pot from the heat. and set aside.
• Beat the egg white mixture with the 2 Tbsp sugar on medium speed until foamy for 1 minute.
• Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating the egg whites until they look white, shiny and smooth and soft peaks form when the whip is lifted.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and carefully pour the hot syrup in a thin stream in the space between the whip and the sides of the bowl; the bowl will feel hot to the touch.
• When all of the syrup has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and beat for 5 minutes. At this point, the outside of the bowl will be lukewarm to the touch and the mixture will form stiff peaks when the whip is lifted.
• With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the butter to the egg white mixture 1 piece at a time.
• Beat until each piece of butter is incorporated before adding the next piece.
• Stop the mixer occasionally and use a rubber spatula to scrape down sides of the bowl.
• Add the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate and beat to combine.
• The buttercream should be soft enough to spread but not pourable. If it is too soft, refrigerate for about 20 minutes to firm it slightly, then, just before using, whisk briefly until smooth.
• To make the chocolate frosting, Melt the chocolate in a small pot over very low heat.
• In a large bowl, combine the icing sugar and butter.
• Beat on low speed until combined; beat smooth.
• Add the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate and beat until fully incorporated.
• Pour in the whipping cream and beat on high until the color lightens and mixture looks fluffy.
• Use the frosting as soon as possible, while it is still soft and spreads easily.
• With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the butter to the egg white mixture 1 piece at a time.
• Beat until each piece of butter is incorporated before adding the next piece.
• Stop the mixer occasionally and use a rubber spatula to scrape down sides of the bowl.
• Add the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate and beat to combine.
• The buttercream should be soft enough to spread but not pourable. If it is too soft, refrigerate for about 20 minutes to firm it slightly, then, just before using, whisk briefly until smooth.
• To make the chocolate frosting, Melt the chocolate in a small pot over very low heat.
• In a large bowl, combine the icing sugar and butter.
• Beat on low speed until combined; beat smooth.
• Add the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate and beat until fully incorporated.
• Pour in the whipping cream and beat on high until the color lightens and mixture looks fluffy.
• Use the frosting as soon as possible, while it is still soft and spreads easily.
• Place 4 strips of waxed paper, each cut 2 inches wide, about 1 inch apart on a cake stand or plate.
• Slide the bottom cake layer onto the waxed paper strips.
• Slide the bottom cake layer onto the waxed paper strips.
• Reserve 1/2 cup from the chocolate buttercream for piping.
• Then divide the remaining chocolate buttercream into 3 parts and spread each cake layer [but not the top one] with one part of the chocolate buttercream.
• Place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Remove cake from the freezer and lightly crumb coat the top and the sides with the chocolate frosting.
• Place back in the freezer for another 15 minutes.
• Remove cake from the freezer and transfer to a serving platter.
• Coat the top and the sides with the chocolate frosting.
• Pipe the reserved chocolate buttercream around the bottom and the top of the cake.
• Place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Remove cake from the freezer and lightly crumb coat the top and the sides with the chocolate frosting.
• Place back in the freezer for another 15 minutes.
• Remove cake from the freezer and transfer to a serving platter.
• Coat the top and the sides with the chocolate frosting.
• Pipe the reserved chocolate buttercream around the bottom and the top of the cake.
