Dark Chocolate Layered Cake with Almond Meringue Topping
Moist, dark and absolutely delicious are words enough to describe this Dark Chocolate Layered Cake with Almond Meringue Topping. The base is a simple chocolate genoise sponge, layered with a low fat whipped cream. The top is a brown sugar meringue topped with slivered almonds, quite optional if you are torn for time, but it does add a lovely touch to the final look. The secret to the moist cake and whipping up the cream is melted, cooled clarified butter/ghee. This is my new favourite sponge recipe.
Ingredients
Chocolate Genoise Sponge 1
- 4 eggs
- 1 egg-yolk
- 125 g brown sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 35 g plain flour
- 35 g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 45 g clarified butter/ghee melted, cooled
Meringue topping
- 2 egg whites
- 40 g brown sugar
- 2-3 tbsp flaked almonds
Frosting and filling
- 600 ml low fat cream, chilled
- 100 g icing sugar
- 40 g clarified butter/ghee melted, cooled
Instructions
Chocolate Genoise Sponge 1
- Preheat oven to 180C. Line the sides and bottom of 2 8" spring-form round tin with parchment. {I have just 1 tin and an oven that fits only 1 cake at a time. I kept the parchment ready while the first sponge baked}
- Place 4 eggs and the egg yolk in the bowl of the stand mixer with 125g brown sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk on high speed until light, very mousse like and tripled in volume, about 8-10 minutes.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt 2 times. Reserve.
- Place cooled clarified butter in a medium sized bowl. reserve.
- Once the eggs are whisked and mousse like, sift over 1/3 of the flour/cocoa mix and gently stir in in figure 8 moves so that the beaten air doesn't escape. Repeat 2 more times.
- Take about a cup of this batter and fold into bowl with melted ghee to loosed the mixture. Now turn this batter back into main batter and gently mix through taking care not to release the beaten air.
- Turn into prepared tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes, untl a pick inserted comes out clean.
Chocolate Genoise Sponge 2
- Repeat as above, turn into prepared tin and top with brown sugar meringue spreading gently and uniformly with an offset spatula. Scatter slivered almonds over and bake for approximately 40 minutes, until a pick inserted comes out clean.
Brown sugar meringue
- Whisk the egg whites with brown sugar on high speed to stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.
Frosting and filling
- Place chilled cream, icing sugar, clarified butter in bowl of stand mixer. Whisk at highest speed for 7-9 minutes until stiff peaks form. Adjust sweetness if required.
Assemble
- Gently cut each cake into two horizontal layers. They will be very moist and delicate.
- Place one layer on the cake platter, top with about 1 cup of whipped cream, spread evenly. Repeat with remaining 3 layers. Frost the sides of the cake with remaining frosting, maybe pipe a border around.