President’s Cake
The only thing more spectacular than the appearance of this chocolate cake is its taste. Flourless chocolate cake is laced with rum syrup and layered with chocolate mousse. A strip of pure chocolate is wrapped around the cake, and it is topped with ruffles of more chocolate. Make a slightly wavy motion with the comb as you drag it through the dark chocolate for the wrapping strip, and when you apply the milk chocolate later the finished strip will look like wood grain.
Ingredients
- Chocolate Flourless Cake:
- Butter - 1 cup plus 6 tablespoon, melted
- Bittersweet Chocolate - 8 ounces, melted
- Egg Whites - 10
- Pinch of salt
- Sugar - 2-1⁄2 tablespoons
- Egg Yolks - 6
- Sugar - 1⁄3 cup plus 1 teaspoon
- Rum-flavored simple syrup (see Simple Syrup, Basics)
- Chocolate Mousse
- Bittersweet Chocolate - 10 ounces
- Butter - 1⁄2 cup (11⁄4 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons
- Sugar - 1⁄3 cup plus 1 teaspoon
- Egg Yolks - 2
- Egg Whites - 6
- Pinch of salt
- Sugar - 1⁄3 cup
- To Decorate the Cake
- Melted dark chocolate
- Melted milk chocolate
Instructions
To make the chocolate flourless cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl cream together the melted butter and melted chocolate. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt. When the egg whites reach the soft peak stage, add 21⁄2 tablespoons of sugar and beat until stiff.
In another bowl beat the egg yolks with 1⁄3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar until the yolks are thick and the sugar is dissolved. Add the egg yolk mixture to the chocolate mixture. Fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter evenly into three 8-inch ring pans placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the cake layers to cool. Soak the layers with rum-flavored simple syrup.
To make the chocolate mousse: In the top of a double boiler over simmering water melt the chocolate. In a large bowl combine the butter and 1⁄3 cup plus 1 teaspoon of sugar. Add the chocolate and mix until incorporated. Add the egg yolks and mix well.
In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add 1⁄3 cup of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
To assemble the cake: Place a cake layer in an 8-inch ring mold. Spread a layer of mousse over the cake. Brush with rum-flavored simple syrup. Repeat with the two remaining cake layers, ending with a mousse layer. Level the top layer of mousse with a spatula. Refrigerate until chilled. Remove the ring, and ice the outside edge of the cake with the mousse.
To decorate the cake: Cut a piece of plastic film (heavy, but flexible—not plastic wrapping film) to fit the outside edge of the cake. Using a comb, spread the plastic film with a thin layer of melted dark chocolate. When dark chocolate is set, top with a very thin layer of milk chocolate. Let stand until set but still flexible. Apply the strip around the cake, covering the entire outside of the cake.
Ladle melted dark chocolate onto a marble slab or similar heatproof hard flat surface. Spread the chocolate very thinly with a spatula. When the chocolate has lost its sheen, scrape up the chocolate into strips resembling ruffled ribbon.
Arrange the ruffled ribbons in one layer around the outer edge of the top of the cake. Repeat with a second layer just inside the first layer, overlapping slightly. Repeat the layers, working toward the center of the cake, until the entire surface of the cake is covered. Arrange some small pieces of ruffled chocolate in the center. Refrigerate the cake until chilled and set. Sprinkle the top of the cake with confectioners’ sugar.
