Unsalted butter or
-margarine; for greasing
-pans
Unbleached flour or passover
-potato; for dusting
; starch
9 oz Imported semi-sweet
-chocolate
Broken into small pieces
1/2 lb Unsalted butter; or
-margarine
1 1/4 c Sugar; Scant
6 Eggs; separated
At room temperature
1/4 c Freshly squeezed orange
-juice; strained
1 tb Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ts Cognac
1 1/2 ts Unbleached flour or potato
-starch
1 ts Grated lemon rind
1 ts Grated orange rind
1/4 ts Vanilla extract
9 oz Blanched almonds; finely
-ground
Unsweetened cocoa powder or
Confectioners’ sugar; for
-dusting the
; cake
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease the bottoms and sides of 2
9-by-1 1/2-inch round pans. Line the pans with wax paper, and grease
the wax paper. Dust with flour or potato starch, then invert the pans
and tap to shake out excess. Place the chocolate on the top of a
double boiler, cover, and set over simmering water until melted. Let
cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter or margarine
at medium speed, adding the sugar gradually until the mixture is pale
and bubbles appear, approximately 10 minutes. While still beating,
add 1 egg yolk at a time, beating well after each addition. Lower the
speed and beat in the cooled chocolate and orange juice. With a large
rubber spatula, mix in the cocoa powder, cognac, flour or potato
starch, lemon rind, orange rind, vanilla extract, and almonds. In a
clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed, until stiff. Fold
half of the whites into the batter with a rubber spatula. Repeat with
another quarter of the whites, then reverse the process, pouring the
batter over the whites. Gradually fold the two batters together,
making a motion like a figure eight, until all the whites have
disappeared. Divide batter equally between the two pans, and smooth
the tops. Bake both cakes on the center rack of the oven, not
touching, for 50 minutes. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes on wire
racks, then invert the cakes onto the racks, peel off the wax paper,
and cool completely. Refrigerate. To serve: Sprinkle with cocoa
powder or confectioners’ sugar and slide the cakes onto a serving
platter. Makes 2 9-inch cakes, each serving 10 to 12
karen.reznek@idealink.washington.dc.us
Yields
10 servings