Chocolate velvet cake

For the Velvet sponge biscuit (d = 16 cm | 6.3 inch):

• 210 g egg whites | 7.40 oz
• 100 g butter | 3.55 oz
• 145 g sugar | 5.10 oz
• 70 g dark chocolate 55% | 2.45 oz
• 100 g flour | 3.55 oz
• 10 g cocoa | 0.35 oz
• 5 g baking powder | 0.20 oz
• 1 tbsp rum | 1.00 tbsp

Cooking instructions:

1. Melt the butter; add the chopped chocolate, stir thoroughly until dissolved. Add the rum.
2. Sift the flour with the baking powder and cocoa.
3. Whip the egg whites until a firm foam, gradually add sugar. Keep whipping until soft peaks.
4. Sift 1/3 of the flour into the whipped egg whites, and mix gently from the bottom to the top. Pour in one half of the chocolate and butter, and stir. Add another part of the flour again with the chocolate and butter. Add the remaining flour. Stir gently each time.
5. Quickly put the dough into the mold (do not grease the sides of the mold). Bake the cake at 175C (347F) for about 30 minutes (the time depends on the oven). Cool the cake on a wire rack, then wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 8 hours. Cut the sponge into three cake layers.

For the “Tenerina” cake layer (d = 18 cm | 7 inch):

• 200 g dark chocolate 55% | 7.05 oz
• 50 g butter | 1.75 oz
• 100 g ricotta or soft cottage cheese | 3.55 oz
• 2 tbsp milk | 2.00 tbsp
• 80 g sugar | 2.80 oz
• 40 g flour | 1.40 oz
• 156 g eggs  |5.50 oz
• 50 g chopped walnuts | 1.75oz

1. Melt the butter; separately melt the chocolate in a water bath. Mix them thoroughly until smooth.
2. Whisk the ricotta and milk lightly by hand until tender.
3. Separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolks to the chocolate-butter mixture one by one, stirring well. Add the sifted flour and ricotta with milk, and mix well.
4. Whip the whites until firm peaks, then gradually add the sugar and whip until soft peaks.
5. Gently add the whipped egg whites to the chocolate dough, moving from the bottom to the top. Finally add the nuts to the dough.
6. Slightly grease the sides of the mold with butter, and cover the bottom with the baking paper; lay out the dough and smooth it.
7. Bake the cake at 170C (338F) for about 20 to 25 minutes.
8. You better check the readiness with a toothpick by sticking it into the cake: it should come out dry near the edges, without traces of dough, and in the center it should be wet.
9. Cool the finished cake almost completely right in the mold, then carefully remove it.
10. Cut the top crust off, leaving the cake about 2 cm (0.8 inch) high. Adjust its diameter to the size of the biscuit cakes. Chill the “Tenerina” in the fridge.

The “Tenerina” can also be frozen and stored in the freezer. The cut crust can be crumbled to decorate the cake.

Ingredients:

• 200 g prunes | 7.05 oz (* Soak them in 200 ml |6.80 fl oz hot water + 35 g | 1.25 oz rum + 25 g | 0.90 oz sugar. When it becomes soft, drain the liquid from it, leaving it for the cake soaking).
• 300 g cream 35% | 10.60 oz
• 40 g sugar (or to taste) | 1.40 oz

1. Cut the soft prunes into pieces, add 100 g (3.55 oz) of the cream and mush everything with a blender (not necessarily until smooth; small pieces of prunes may remain).
2. Add the sugar to taste.
3. Whip the remaining cream and gently stir it to the prunes.

Divide the resulting cream into three parts (about 180 g | 6.35 oz each).

Ingredients:

• 200 g cream 35% | 7.05 oz
• 250 g ricotta | 8.80 oz
• 250 g dark chocolate 55% | 8.80 oz

1. Heat the cream, add the chopped chocolate, and stir until it is completely melted.
2. Add the ricotta (you can use the soft grated cottage cheese, the cream cheese or mascarpone). Whisk until smooth.

Use this custard to cover the cake right away, it becomes thick very quickly.

Assembling the cake (in a ring mold, then put it in the fridge overnight): 

1 – the “Tenerina” cake, the prune custard

2 – the biscuit, soaked with hot syrup (left over from prunes), the prune custard

3 – the soaked biscuit, the custard

4 – the soaked biscuit.

The picture shows another assembling order, but you better follow the one in the recipe.

Bon Appétit!