Chocolate Rum Cake with Chocolate Creme Anglaise, Vanilla Chantilly and Berries

CB Genoa Chocolate Cake IMG_4910

This cake takes a bit of time but is well worth the effort. As it is quite rich, I prefer to use miniature molds to keep each serving quite small. This dessert is based on a recipe from the chef school we attended.

Serve as part of a menu with:
– Starter: Summer Salad with Basil Walnut Dressing
– Main Course: Caribbean Chicken with Avocado Rice and Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Chocolate Crème Anglaise:
1 vanilla bean (pod)
250 ml whole milk
3 egg yolks
50 g sugar
275 g dark chocolate, chopped

The cake:
2 egg whites
200 g ground almonds
6 tbsp icing sugar
30 g butter
4 eggs
15 g gluten free flour (rice flour works very well)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
¼ lemon, grated peel
4 tbsp rum

Chantilly:
200 ml cream
20 g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Decoration:
Strawberries
Chocolate shavings

Chocolate Crème Anglaise:

  1. Slice the vanilla pod lengthwise. Scrape out the interior.
  2. In a saucepan, bring the milk and vanilla to a boil.
  3. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and thick.
  4. Pour the hot milk onto the eggs and sugar taking care to stir continuously so the eggs don’t set.
  5. Return the mixture to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon over low heat until mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. DO NOT BOIL.
  6. Pour the Crème Angailse over the chopped chocolate and gently mix until the chocolate has melted.
  7. Cool the chocolate and refridgerate for about an hour until thick enough to place in a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

The Cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
  2. Butter small molds.
  3. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Set aside.
  4. Mix the ground almonds, icing sugar and egg whites together in a thick paste.
  5. Beat the eggs into the almond mix, one at the time. Whisk for about 5 minutes, the mix should be pale and thick.
  6. Fold in the sifted flour, cocoa and baking powder, add the melted butter.
  7. Pour into the prepared molds, let the batter come to two-thirds up the side.
  8. Bake until done. A knife blade comes out clean when inserted. About 12-15 minutes depending on size of molds.
  9. From a spoon, let a few drops of the Rum drop on the cakes.
  10. Turn out of molds and place on rack to cool.

Vanilla Chantilly:

  1. Whisk the cream and icing sugar together with the vanilla until it holds in soft peaks.

Assembly:

  1. Place a chocolate cake on each plate.
  2. Pipe elongated balls of the chocolate cream all around the top.
  3. Cut strawberries in a decorative shape and place on top.
  4. With two spoons, form a chantilly cream quenelle on one side of the plate and sprinkle some chocolate shavings on top.

Any comments, suggestions, ideas? Please write here!