Categories: Cakes - Frosting - Icing
Ingredients
- chocolate ganache:
- 1 pkg. (8 oz.) semisweet-chocolate squares, very finely chopped
- 1 bar (3 oz.) milk chocolate, very finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
- 4 Tbsp. margarine or butter, cut up
- Sponge Cake:
- 12 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
- 3 Tbsp. margarine or butter, melted
- Caramel:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp. margarine or butter
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 square (1 oz.) semisweet chocolate, melted
Directions
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Prepare Chocolate Ganache: In medium bowl (preferably metal), combine semisweet and milk chocolates.
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Meanwhile, in 2 -quart saucepan, heat cream to boiling over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate bowl; let mixture stand 1 minute. With wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently stir until chocolates melt and mixture is smooth. (If chocolates do not melt completely, place bowl over pot of simmering water and stir just until chocolates melt.) Stir in margarine or butter until melted and smooth.
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Place 2 inches cold water and about 2 cups ice cubes in very large bowl to make an ice bath. Set bowl with ganache in ice bath and chill, stirring ganache occasionally with rubber spatula, until mixture thickens and is an easy spreading consistency, about 20 minutes.
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Or, chill uncovered in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. Let come to room temperature; stir with spoon until an easy spreading consistency.)
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Prepare Sponge Cake:
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottoms of two 9-inch round metal cake pans. Line each pan with a 9-inch reusable nonstick bakeware liner, kitchen parchment, or waxed paper; grease parchment paper or waxed paper. (If using parchment or waxed paper, you will need to cut a total of seven 9-inch rounds. Liners are reusable and just need to be wiped clean.)
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In a small bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 10 minutes. Beat in vanilla; set aside.
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In a large bowl, with clean beaters and with mixer at high speed, beat egg white until soft peaks form. Beating at high speed, gradually sprinkle in 1/2 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. at a time, beating well after each addition until sugar dissolves and whites stand in stiff peaks.
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Transfer yolk mixture to very large bowl. Gradually sift in and fold flour into yolk mixture, then fold in melted margarine or butter until blended.
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Spoon about 1 cup batter into each prepared pan. with metal spatula (preferably offset), gently spread batter to even thickness. Bake cake layers about 10 minutes or until lightly golden and cake springs back when gently touched with finger. Loosen edge of each layer with metal spatula, invert onto wire rack to cool completely. (If using liners, wipe clean before reusing. If using parchment, or waxed paper, remove from layers after they are cooled.)
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When pans are cool, repeat with remaining batter to make 7 layers in all. Stack cooled cake layers between sheets of waxed paper.
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Prepare caramel in 1-quart saucepan, beat sugar, margarine or butter, lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. water to boiling over high heat. Wash down sides of saucepan with pastry brush dipped in water. Continue cooking, without stirring, until caramel is golden brown, about 4 minutes.
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Carefully pour hot caramel over top of 1 cake layer; spread evenly with metal spatula. Let caramel cool 2 minutes to harden slightly. With greased chef’s knife, cut layer into 6 wedges (do not let caramel cool too long; it will break when it is cut). Dip rounded outside edge of each wedge into melted chocolate; place on waxed-paper-lined cookie sheet to set.
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To assemble cake: Spread 1/3 cup Chocolate Ganache on 1 cake layer. Top wit second layer and spread with 1/3 cup ganache. Repeat 4 more times. Spoon remaining ganache into 16 dollops evenly spaced around edge of top layer to mark each serving. If served within 2 hours, place 1 caramel-coated wedge; set at an angle, on top of each dollop. If not serving right away, refrigerate cake, but do not place wedges on top; the caramel will get soft in refrigerator. To serve, remove cake from refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving; top with caramel wedges.