Suzy’s cake and the chocolate tart.

I owe some reicpes on this site. So here goes.. No new pictures though, unless you want some photo of squashed chocolate cake in a tupperware. The thought of cutting a slice, putting it on a plate, dusting some icing sugar on top and drizzling some vanilla sauce over while waiting for the light to be just right, taking out my camera and taking a couple of shots then uploading it onto my camera is just too much work! I only have a couple of minutes before Hana wakes. Life on happygrub will take time to get back to normal.

 

For the first recipe I owe butterflyrubrics:

Its that chocolate tart.

For the base I used this recipe but substituted ground hazelnut for ground almond as that was what I had in my pantry. This tart was inspired by the crispy chocolate tart I had at the chocolate factory. Its a layer of shortcrust pastry, topped with a layer of crispy hazelnut milk chocolate or praliné feuilleté, I used a Pierre Hermes recipe (see below)  and then topped with a dark chocolate glaze. The recipe below will yield two 24 cm tarts.

For the praliné feuilleté
200g Nutella or gianduja
50g milk chocolate, melted
80g feuilletine (substitute with crèpes gavottes or rice crispies)
15g butter, melted

In a bowl mix the Nutella, melted milk chocolate, feuilettine and melted butter.

For the dark chocolate glaze

200g Valrhona Guanaja,melted

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine in chocolate and butter in a bowl.

 

To assemble

One portion of the shortbread would yield two 24 cm tart shells. Proceed with rolling out of the pastry or pressing dough into 2 tart pans with false bottoms. Prick base all over with a fork, Bake at 180C for 25-30 mins till golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool.

Spread a layer of the praline feuilette at the base of each tart. Leave to chill in the fridge till firm, at least an hour. Top with chocolate glaze and leave to set for another hour. Before serving, leave tart out to thaw for at least ten minutes.

 

 

 

For Suzy’s cake (a recipe from Pierre Hermes Chocolate Desserts) an almost flourless chocolate torte, here’s the recipe. You can check photos here on Patricia’s blog. I baked this for Elia, Hanna (not the baby) and Fatin (Elia’s 8 yr old sister, I got the age right this time!) who visited me yesterday. Thanks for the gift! Elia and Hanna were in secondary school with me and were a year my junior. My mom thought it was unusual that we would meet up after years of not seeing each other, I explained we got close thru reading each other’s blogs! At least Elia and I, Hanna has a SECRET blog which I’ve never read..

Suzy’s cake

250g Valrhona Guanuja
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
200g sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
70g all-purpose flour

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Butter a 24cm (9in) round cake pan that is at least 5cm (2in) high, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper, and dust the inside of the pan with flour; tap out the excess and set the pan aside.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over – not touching – simmering water and heat until the chocolate is melted; or melt the chocolate in a microwave oven. Set the chocolate aside to cool; it should feel only just warm to the touch when you mix it with the rest of the ingredients.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium speed for about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently, until the butter is creamy and the sugar well blended into it. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low, pour in the cooled chocolate, and mix only until it disappears into the batter. Alternatively, you can fold in the last of the flour with a rubber spatula. You’ll have a thick, smooth, satiny batter that looks like old-fashioned chocolate frosting.

Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top, and slide the pan into the oven. Bake for 26 to 29 minutes or until the cake rises slightly and the top has lost its sheen. The top may crack a bit and the cake may not look entirely set in the center; when you test the cake by inserting a slender knife into the center, the knife will come out lightly streaked with batter, which is what you want. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool.

When the cake has cooled, chill it in the refrigerator for an hour or two to make it easy to unmould. Turn the cake out, remove the parchment, and invert the cake onto a serving platter so that it is right side up. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before slicing and serving.

Serves 6-8