September 7th Cake

September 7th Cake
(Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 25. 

This cake has been on the radar for quite some time and I finally made it.  It is the cake that Maida created for her own birthday. I'm happy to hear that she is not the only person who makes their own birthday cake. My birthday was this past weekend, so I decided to finally tackle it and I'm glad I did. It is heavenly!

I was apprehensive about making it, especially after reading about experiences from other bakers. To alleviate some of the stress, I made the cake layers a week in advance and froze them. Another reason I did this was because a reader (Amy) wrote to me about the cake and recommended freezing it first because the layers are so thin that spreading the filling is difficult. Thank you for that tip Amy!

A few more observations:

The trickiest part is the icing. It cannot be overbeat or it will be too heavy and have a curdled appearance. I always cringe when a recipe says to not overbeat something. I watched the beating like a hawk and as soon as I saw that it was stiffening up a bit, I stopped it. 

After adding the coffee to the melted chocolate, it will seem like an excessive amount. You will have to stir it a while to get it fully incorporated and smooth.

Be aware that the melted chocolate for the icing has to be at room temperature, so plan accordingly. 

There is a lot of icing, more than I could use (you can pipe it on with a pastry bag if desired). 

So don't let this recipe scare you, like it did me. It is so good - very light and it has a strong mocha flavor. The cake layers are very thin, so the filling and icing are the major components.

Cake Layers

6 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon strained unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

1/4 teaspoon salt

That's it, only 4 ingredients

Preheat the oven to 375. Use the lower third rack.

Butter two 9-inch round pans. Cover the bottom of the the pans with wax paper, butter the paper and dust with flour.

Beat the egg yolks at high speed for 5 minutes, until they are light lemon colored.

Add about half (6 tablespoons) of the sugar, reserving the remaining half.

Continue to beat for 5 more minutes until the mixture is thick and forms a wide ribbon when the beaters are lifted.

Add the cocoa and beat on lowest speed, scraping the bowl as needed, until the cocoa is completely mixed in.

In a clean mixer bowl, add the salt to the egg whites and beat at high speed until the whites have increased in volume and barely hold a soft shape. Reduce the speed and gradually add the remaining sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until the whites hold a definite shape.

In several additions, starting with a large spoonful, fold half of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whites.

Divide the mixture into the prepared pans and smooth.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the layers begin to come away from the sides of the pan.

Release the layers from the pans and invert them onto a rack. Peel off the paper and invert them again, right side up, and allow to cool. As the layers cool, they will buckle and look uneven. After the layers have cooled, wrap them and freeze them. Note that the layers are sticky, so use a layer of parchment or wax paper between them and the plastic wrap (if you are using that).

Filling

3/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 tablespoons cold water

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

3/4 cup vanilla extract

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a heatproof cup. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Place the cup in a small pan with 1 inch of hot water. Let the gelatin dissolve over moderate heat.

Reserve 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cream and place the remainder in a small mixer bowl.

Add the sugar and vanilla. Beat only until the cream has increased in volume and holds a soft shape. Then quickly stir the reserved tablespoons of cream into the warm, dissolved gelatin. With the mixer running, pour the gelatin all at once into the whipped cream and continue to beat. Beat until it holds a shape.

Place the whipped cream on the bottom cake layer and spread it evenly. Cover with the other layer, right side up. Place in the refrigerator and prepare the icing.

Icing

8 oz. semisweet chocolate

2 oz. (1/2 stick) butter

1 tablespoon dry instant coffee

1/4 cup boiling water

2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Break up the chocolate, place it in the top of a double boiler, and melt over hot water.

Add the butter and stir until it is melted and blended with the chocolate.

Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water. Pour it over the chocolate and stir it in until smooth. Transfer it to a medium mixing bowl. (This will seem like a lot of water, but it is correct)

Cool the chocolate to room temperature. 

When the chocolate has cooled, place the cream, sugar and vanilla in the small bowl of a mixer. Beat only until the cream holds a soft shape.

In two or three additions, fold about half of the cream into the chocolate, then fold the chocolate into the remaining cream.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Use a turntable if you have it and place strips of wax or parchment paper underneath the cake to catch the excess icing.

Use as much of the icing as you'd like (there is a lot!), filling in cracks in the cake and carefully covering the sides.

The icing can be applied with a pastry bag if you want a fancier look. 

Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours before serving.