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Title: Zio Ciccio's Cassata
Categories: Chocolate Cake Dessert
Yield: 1 Cake
| MARSALA CAKE | ||
| 2 | ts | Unsalted butter, melted |
| 2 1/2 | oz | Cake flour |
| 3/4 | oz | Cornflour |
| 3 | Eggs | |
| 4 | oz | Caster sugar |
| 3 | Egg yolks | |
| 1 | ts | Pure vanilla essence |
| 2 | Egg whites | |
| 8 | fl | Oz. Marsala wine (set aside until the assembly of the cake) |
| CHOCOLATE CHUNK CUSTARD | ||
| 8 | fl | Oz. unskimmed milk |
| 8 | fl | Oz. double creme |
| 4 | oz | Caster sugar |
| 2 | Eggs | |
| 4 | Egg yolks | |
| 1 1/4 | oz | Cornflour |
| 2 | ts | Pure vanilla essence |
| 2 | oz | Plain chocolate, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces |
| DECORATION | ||
| 2 | tb | Cocoa powder |
Lightly coat the insides of a 9x1 1/2 inch cake tin with melted butter. Line the tine with greaseproof paper, then lightly coat the paper with more melted butter.
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Sift the cake flour and 3/4 oz. cornflour onto the greaseproof paper. Set aside.
Place 3 eggs, 4 oz. sugar, 3 egg yolks, and 1 tsp. vanilla essence int he bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whisk. Whisk on high until slightly thickened and lemon-coloured, about 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust mixer speed to low and continue to mix while whisking the egg whites. Whisk the 2 egg whites in a stainless steel bowl until stiff but not dry, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the sifted ingredients to the egg mixture in the mixing bowl. Mix on medium for 10 seconds. Increase the speed to high and whisk for an additional 5 seconds. Remove the bowl from he mixer and use a rubber spatula to vigorously fold in the beaten egg whites.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, spreading evenly. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, and allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes. Invert onto a cake circle, then immediately reinvert onto another cake circle (the cake is now right side up).
To prepare the custard, heat the milk and cream in a 4-pint saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. While the cream is heating, place 4 oz. sugar, 2 eggs, 4 egg yolks, and 1 1/4 oz. of cornflour in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whisk. Whisk on high until slightly thickened and lemon-coloured, about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. (At this point the cream should be boiling. If not, adjust the mixer speed to low and continue to mix until the cream boils. If this is not done, the egg yolks will develop undesirable lumps). Remove the bowl from the mixer, then pour the boiling cream into the beaten egg mixture. Whisk to combine. Return mixture to the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches a temperature of 185F. about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add 2 tsp. vanilla essence, and whisk to combine. Transfer custard to a stainless steel bowl. Cool the custard in an ice-water bath to a temperature of 40 to 45 F., about 20 minutes. When the custard is cold, use a rubber spatula to fold in the chopped plain chocolate. Combine thoroughly. Refrigerate.
To assemble the cake, first slice it horizontally into 2 equal layers. Place the top layer onto a separate cake circle. Sprinkle each layer with 4 fl.oz. of the reserved Marsala (it will take longer for the top cake layer to absorb the Marsala). Evenly spread the chilled chocolate chunk custard over the top cake layer. Invert the bottom layer onto the custard (the top of the cake should be the smooth bottom of the original baked cake), and gently press the layer into place. Use a cake spatula to smooth the custard around the sides of the cake. Refrigerate for 2 hours. To serve, dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder. Cut the cake with a serrated slicer, wiping the blade clean before cutting each slice. Serve immediately.
From the book "Death by Chocolate" by Marcel Desaulniers From: April Roche Date: 21 Apr 94
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