Chocoholic's Deep Dark Dream Chiffon Cake
By: Anna C
Published: Sunday, September 26, 2010 - 9:42am

Ingredients




Cake
3/4 dark Dutch cocoa
2/3 cup boiling water
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
 cup sugar
 cup vegetable oil
5 egg yolks beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Filling:
2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup dark cocoa
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup or more 35%% cream
Ganache Topping:
1/2 cup 35%% cream
3 1/2 ounces 80%% dark Belgium chocolate (cut into small pieces)
2 tablespoons butter

Preparation

1 Cake: 2 In a bowl add the cocoa and pour in the boiling water. Stir to combine and let cool. 3 In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. 4 In a separate bowl add the 6 egg whites and cream of tartar. With an electric mixer beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and beat until firm but not dry. 5 Make a well in the dry ingredients. 6 Add the oil, egg yolks, vanilla and cooled cocoa. Beat until smooth. 7 Mix in about a 1/4 of the egg whites to loosen the batter and then fold in the remainder of the egg whites. 8 Pour into 2-8 inch prepared cake pans and bake at a preheated 350º F oven for 30-35 minutes. The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. 9 Filling: 10 With and electric mixer, blend the sugar, cocoa and butter, add the vanilla and cream. Mix and add more cream to obtain the desired texture. 11 Topping: 12 In a double boiler or microwave bring the cream to just below the boiling point. Add the chocolate pieces and butter, and with a wooden spoon stir to blend. Allow to cool, this will thicken the ganache gor the topping. 13 Assembly: 14 With a long knife, slice the cakes in the center to  obtain 4 layers in all.  Sprinkle some Kirsch or other favourite liqueur on the first layer of cake and spread a thin layer of the filling. Place raspberry halves on the filling and place a second layer of cake on top. Continue in the same manner until the remaining 2 layer are filled, leaving the top layer to be iced with the ganache topping.

About


Don't be intimidated by this decadently tall rich chocolate cake because I'm going to share with you what I believe to be a fool proof recipe. Just like the name denotes, this chiffon cake really is  light, fluffy and silky. Finish it off with rich dark chocolate filling and topping, and you are sure to make a chocoholic's dream come true. Once again it's important not to skimp on the ingredients, so make sure to use good quality dark Dutch cocoa and the best dark chocolate. The reward is well worth it, wether it's to impress your guests or for your own delight.