CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CHRISTMAS CAKE, 2009

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CHRISTMAS CAKE, 2009 image

Yield 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

Cake
1/4 cup clarified butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.4 oz sifted all cake flour
1.4 oz sifted unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
4 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
Hazelnut crunch
4 ounces imported gianduja bars (hazelnut-flavored chocolate, such as Callebaut), chopped
1 stick unsalted sweet butter, room temperature.
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, finely chopped*
Mousse
10 ounces imported gianduja bars (hazelnut-flavored chocolate, such as Callebaut), chopped
1 1/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon (scant) salt
3 tablespoons Tuaca (sweet citrus-flavored liqueur) or Frangelico (hazelnut-flavored liqueur)
Additional unsweetened cocoa powder
Powdered sugar/extra fine sugar (50/50)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Clarify butter. Mix clarified butter and vanilla; set aside. Sift flour and cocoa 3 times into medium bowl. Whisk eggs and sugar in large metal bowl to blend. In double boiler wish egg mixture to lukewarm (105°F). Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until cool and tripled in vol. Sift 1/3 of flour-cocoa mixture over egg mixture and gently fold in with rubber spatula. Fold in remaining flour-cocoa mixture in 2 more additions. Fold 1 cup of cake batter into warm clarified butter until incorporated. Using rubber spatula, gently fold butter-cake batter mixture into remaining cake batter. Bake until tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool. Invert cake onto rack. Trim forming 3/4-inch-high cake layer 8-inch diam. Hazelnut crunch: Line bottom of 8-inch-diameter springform pan with parchment paper. Using db at 115 F: Place gianduja in bowl, stir until gianduja is melted and smooth (stay below 115). Add the softened butter, slowly stirring with a rubber spatula until butter is melted. The glaze should be at 80-85 F. Stir in hazelnuts. Spread hazelnut chocolate butter glaze evenly over parchment in pan. Place cake atop crunch layer, pressing to adhere. Chill about 1 hour. Mousse: Melt gianduja in double boiler. Stir until gianduja is smooth. Remove bowl from water; cool gianduja to lukewarm (80-85 degrees F). Using electric mixer, beat cream and salt in another bowl until very soft peaks form. Pour whipped cream over and fold into gianduja just until incorporated (mousse will be very soft). Brush top of chilled cake with liqueur. Spread mousse over cake in pan. Cover and chill overnight. Run knife between cake and pan sides to loosen. Carefully remove pan sides from cake; smooth mousse with knife if necessary. Place cake on pan bottom on rack set over baking sheet. Sift cocoa powder lightly over top of cake. Stencil snow flake. Serve.