Walnut, coffee & vanilla cake with bitter chocolate

• Whip the egg whites at room temperature with sugars and salt until stable peaks.
• Mix the almond crumbs, cocoa and starch with a whisk.
• Gently add the dry mix to the egg whites using a spatula.
• Divide the mass into five parts. Form five cake layers on baking paper, with a diameter of 17cm (6.70 inch).
• Sprinkle each cake layer with almond flakes.
• Bake the cake layers in the oven preheated to 356F (180C) for about 20 minutes until crispy on top.
• Cool the biscuit, and remove the paper.

• Grind the yolks, sugar and starch into a homogeneous paste.
• Heat the milk until boiling. Pour a little into the yolks, stirring.
• Then pour the whole yolk mass into the total milk, put on a medium heat, and simmer, stirring constantly.
• As soon as the cream starts thickening, pour in the hot coffee and rum. Without ceasing to knead, bring to a thickening - it will take less than a minute. Cover with film in contact, and cool.
• Whip the butter until white and fluffy.
• Set 200g (7.05 oz) of custard for another cream.
• Spoon the rest into the whipped butter.

• Lay the split ring along the edge with 12cm (4.72 inch) wide acetate tape.
• Set on a flat surface (board, cake substrate).
• Divide the coffee custard into four equal parts.
• Grease all the cake layers.
• Cover the cake with foil.
• Refrigerate it overnight or up to 4 hours.

• Take the butter and coffee custard (200g | 7.05 oz) out of the fridge at the same time. These components should be at the same room temperature.
• Melt the chocolate in a water bath, and cool it to 77F (25C).
• Whip the butter with powdered sugar, stir in the chocolate, and whip.
• Add the custard part of the cream, whisking.
• Free the cake from the ring and acetate film.
• Smooth it with chocolate cream.
• Place the cake in rthe fridge to chill.
• As soon as the cream sets well, you can decorate the cake.

• Combine the cold cream and mascarpone in a mixer bowl, and whip it with the powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy and thick.
• Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm (0.39 inch) round tip.
• Pipe the cream on top of the cake.
• Sprinkle the cake with cocoa.

Enjoy!