Ingredients
- CHOCOLATE GENOISE
- 6 ounces flour
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 4 eggs
- 3 ounces sugar
- 2 ounces butter, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan, line with parchment or waxed paper. Butter and flour paper.
Combine flour and cocoa and sift 3 times. In a mixing bowl set over a pan of hot water combine eggs and sugar. Whisk until mixture registers 110 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and continue to whip egg mixture until extremely fluffy. Using a large spatula gently fold in sifted flour by thirds and finish by folding in melted butter. Pour into prepared pan and bake until firm, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes, turn out on a rack and cool completely.
Note: measurements are given by weight for greater accuracy. Cup measures are as follows: scant 1/2 cup sugar; 6 tablespoons cocoa; 1 1/2 cups flour; 1/2 stick butter.
- CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 cup butter, cut in cubes
- 8 ounces chocolate, melted and cooled
In a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer boil sugar with 3 cups water to 120 c. or 240 degrees F. Meanwhile, in bowl of an electric mixer beat yolks until pale. With motor running pour in syrup and beat until mixture forms a ribbon. While mixture is still warm add butter, a piece at a time, then add chocolate, scraping down sides several times. Continue whipping until mixture cools.
Yield: Enough Buttercream to Frost an 8-inch cake
- CHOCOLATE DESIGNS AND CAKE ASSEMBLY
- 1 cup simple syrup
- Kirsch
- 1 pound chocolate, chopped
- Chocolate Genoise cake (previous recipe)
- Chocolate Buttercream frosting (previous recipe)
Combine syrup and Kirsch, to taste, for moistening cake.
In a bowl set over a saucepan of hot but not boiling water, melt chocolate, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool and thicken to a pourable consistency. Fill a pastry bag fitted with smallest tip with chocolate. Pipe out neat small designs onto waxed paper; let solidify at room temperature.
To assemble cake: slice fully-cooled cake in half horizontally. Using a pastry brush generously brush both layers with flavored syrup. Place bottom layer on a cake stand and spread with a nice even layer of buttercream. Cover with top layer. Using a palette knife spread a nice, even layer of buttercream on top of cake and then ice sides; try to make as smooth a surface as you can. Decorate top with chocolate designs.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Review This Recipe
You must be signed in to review this recipe.
or Register to Review
Newest Ratings and Reviews
Read all 11 reviews
By hmade2012
on August 13, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
I bake quite a bit and this recipe was totally disappointing. The cake came out more like a giant dense cookie and the frosting never achieved the consistency to work with. Needless to say, I wasted good ingredients and went back to one of my old favorites. I do not have much faith in Emeril's dessert recipes after this one.
Moral of story - I will always read the reviews before trying the recipe. At what point does Food Network pull off a recipe when the reviews are overwhelmingly bad?
By m_pendrell_13023744
ojfnaiwn, 43
on July 25, 2010
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
While I understand that a genoise cake is difficult to make and achieve this was the worst chocolate cake I have ever made. I ended up making the egg sugar mixture twice the first I ended up overcooking a little and the second while perfect never expanded in size. I make a ton of angel food cake so I know about whipping forever, but this was insane. I ended up just using what I had even though it was still very liquidly. the cakes cooked way under time ( i check it in 10 minutes and it was already done! I'm glad I checked on it! after letting the cake cool the inside was so incredible eggy and unflavourful. I had even added some of my own spices ( like I always so when making cake and it was still lacking flavour and any chocolate accents. We has two slices after it cooled and there was just nothing redeeming about this cake what so ever.
I have always had a lot of issues in the past with Emirel's recipes, bt I couldn't even believe he could f-up a chocolate cake!!! I mean the other recipes I would adjust the second time I made them but they were still edible.... don't waste your time making this cake... there are so many great cake recipes out there that are less time consuming and actually taste like chocolate cake!
By craigplainfield...
portland, OR
on July 16, 2009
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
This is a good recipe but it is an advanced recipe. Genoise and the butercream are very tricky recipes. If you don't understand the techniques it will not turn out.
Even experienced bakers have failures with genoise.
The keys to genoise are the temperature of the eggs and the volume that you beat them to. You must get the eggs to the right warm temperature and then beat them until they are triple to four times in volume. Then you must very carefully and lightly fold in the flour and butter.
The frosting is also tricky. You have to have the syrup to the right temperature. And then add it to the eggs while beating. This is tricky because if you pour the syrup onto the spinning beater it will fly all around the sides of the bowl and harden. If you pour the syrup into the eggs with the beaters not going it will harden in the eggs and not incorporate. Then you have to beat the syrup and egg mixture until it is cool before adding the butter bit by bit.
Read all 11 reviews