The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings:
8
Ingredients
- 5 eggs (necessitarem 5 yolks i 4 whites)
- 50 gchocolate coating 70%
- 90 gweak flour (or pastry flour)
- 100 gbutter (softened)
- 110 gsugar
- the pulp of a vanilla bean
- pinch of salt
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (Approx.)
Calories
315 kcal
Protein
10 g
Fat
19 g
Carbohydrates
27 g
Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.
Step-by-step Guide
Filling Truffle
- Boil the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Gradually add the chocolate in small pieces, continuing to stir until the mixture comes back to a boil and the chocolate is completely melted and integrated.
- Homogenize the mixture using an immersion blender until a smooth, lump-free cream is obtained.
- Pour the truffle into a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, ensuring that the plastic touches the surface of the truffle to prevent the formation of a hardened layer.
- Let the truffle cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it in the fridge for at least 12 hours or until the next day.
Cake Batter
- Separate 5 yolks from the whites. Discard the last white, we only need 4 whites.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. (Attention: ensure not a drop of water gets into the chocolate.)
- Add the room-temperature butter, vanilla pulp, and a pinch of salt. Stir until everything is well integrated.
- Use electric beaters at medium speed to achieve a frothy mixture, for approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Add the 5 egg yolks one by one, ensuring each yolk is well incorporated before adding the next.
- In another bowl, beat the 4 egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks form, approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture gradually, stirring gently with a manual spatula from bottom to top to maintain the mixture's texture.
- Gradually incorporate the sifted flour, stirring slowly with the manual spatula until the flour is fully integrated.
- Fill one (or two) pastry bags and let them rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.
Now you need to make four or five thin layers of cake
- When 30 minutes remain before baking, preheat the oven to 210 ºC, ensuring the racks are adjusted for baking in the center of the oven.
- Cut four or five pieces of parchment paper to a size approximately larger than a 24 cm diameter circle.
- Use a ring mold, a pot, or another circular object to trace the perimeter and draw a circle of the desired size for the cake on each piece of paper. Do this with a pencil or pen.
- Flip the parchment papers so the unmarked side is on top (to prevent the ink from transferring to the cake) and lightly grease the inner surface of the drawing with butter, then dust with a bit of flour.
- After half an hour, remove the piping bag from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature slightly.
- Place one of the papers on a thin baking tray and pipe a thin line of batter in zig-zag patterns following the drawn circle. Finish spreading the batter with a spatula to distribute it evenly.
- Bake at 210 ºC for 9 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and let the paper with the cake layer cool on the countertop or a flat surface.
- While you have one layer in the oven, prepare the next layer on the second tray following the same steps.
- Before putting the third layer in the oven, cool the first tray you removed under a stream of water from the underside (the base) to prevent the dough from cooking when you are placing it, ensuring the interior does not get wet.
- Repeat this process alternately to bake the 4 or 5 layers you want to prepare.
- Once cooled, cut the 4 or 5 layers to fit the round shape the cake should have. Take each layer, place the ring, the pan, etc., on top of it, and with a paring or utility knife, remove the excess dough.
- Wrap the sheets individually with cling film tightly and leave them in the refrigerator until the next day. If you can't find a topping for decoration, prepare it the day before. If you can't find it, you can substitute shavings with sprinkles, etc., but the cake is more attractive with shavings.
To make chocolate shavings
- Melt the couverture chocolate in a bain-marie until it reaches 45°C, stirring occasionally to ensure it melts evenly.
- Pour three-quarters of the melted chocolate onto a clean, dry marble surface, spreading it uniformly with a scraper to help cool it until it lowers to about 27°C.
- Once it gains consistency and cools, gather the chocolate with the scraper and return it to the bowl with the rest of the melted chocolate, which should be maintained at around 32°C.
- Stir and integrate all the chocolate well so that it reaches a homogeneous temperature.
- Clean the marble surface with water and dry it well. Then, slightly dampen the surface with a little water so the plastic wrap adheres properly.
- Cover the marble surface with a layer of plastic wrap that is as long and wide as possible, slightly overlapping two pieces if necessary to achieve more width.
- Pour the chocolate onto the plastic wrap and spread it as much as possible with the scraper, leaving a margin on the sides so it can expand when rolling.
- Cover the chocolate with another layer of plastic wrap, covering the entire surface occupied by the chocolate and the lower wrap.
- Smooth the chocolate with a rolling pin from the center to the edges until you obtain a very thin, even layer without air bubbles.
- Allow the chocolate to rest at room temperature until it is almost set, for approximately 20-30 minutes.
- When the chocolate is nearly set but still flexible, gently roll the plastic wrap and chocolate block without pressing, and place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to solidify completely.
- Once the chocolate is cold and solid, remove the plastic wrap and crumble the thin layer of curved chocolate into shavings and flakes. Store them in the refrigerator until the next day, the day the cake is prepared.
Whip the truffle
- Take the truffle out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes to lose a bit of chill. Then, whisk it with electric beaters at medium speed for approximately 5 minutes, until you achieve a fluffy and adequately voluminous mixture.
Assemble the cake
- Place a cake layer on a baking paper. With a spatula, spread an even layer of truffle over it, ensuring it covers the entire surface.
- Place another cake layer on top. Repeat the process of spreading the truffle over each layer and continue alternately until reaching the desired number of layers.
- With the help of a spatula, coat the sides and top of the cake, ensuring the truffle is evenly spread and smooth.
- Decorate the cake by spreading chocolate shavings on both the top and sides, pressing gently to ensure they stick.
- Dust some cocoa powder on top if desired. Optional: To soak the cake layers before adding the truffle, bring water with powdered sugar to a boil for 5 minutes to create a syrup. Let it cool and add your desired liquor. Lightly soak each layer with this syrup. Optional: Instead of truffle, some layers can be filled with a layer of raspberry jam, bitter orange marmalade, etc.
Recommendations & Tricks
- To ensure the egg whites whip properly, make sure the utensils you use are clean and dry; any oil or water residue can affect their ability to whip.
- When melting chocolate, use a double boiler to maintain temperature control and prevent burning or sticking; stir constantly with a silicone spatula for a smooth texture.
- Allow the truffle tart to cool completely before covering it with chocolate shavings; this will prevent them from melting and achieve a more presentable finish.