Rosie Makes A Triple Chocolate Cake For Youngest Hawthorne's Birthday.

 Today is Daughter Hawthorne's birthday.
Happy Birthday, Daughter Hawthorne!
Since you're not here,
you get to enjoy your brother's birthday cake vicariously.

Wednesday was Youngest Hawthorne's birthday

and whenever my little Hawthornelets have a birthday,

I let them pick out whatever cake they want

and I will make it for them.

Youngest Hawthorne looked through a few of my cookbooks,

couldn't select anything,

and ended up drawing me what he wanted -

an Oreo crumble crust with a thick chocolate layer,

a light chocolate sponge cake inside,

and a chocolate mousse on the outside.

Armed with those parameters,

Rosie entered the kitchen

and was not heard from

for the rest of the day.

Let's start with the Oreo crust.

Oreo Crust

36 Oreos

6 TB melted butter

Process in blender.

Press evenly into 2 cake pans,

going up the sides a bit.

Try not to eat an Oreo.

Use plastic wrap to press the Oreo mixture in your pans.

Refrigerate while you prepare the cake.

Youngest Hawthorne requested a Chocolate Spongecake.

I found a recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking

for Le Marquis, a chocolate spongecake.

The recipe was enough for 1 8-inch cake pan,

so I doubled it, and instead of using semi-sweet chocolate,

I used a combination of chocolates.

And I left out the brewed coffee

because YH didn't want coffee flavoring.

Apparently, this recipe is not one that can be doubled.

(Or maybe it could if I'd added the brewed coffee.)

Well, it certainly can be doubled

but I didn't end up with a spongecake.

I ended up with dense, fudgy deliciosity

that no one complained about.

Ingredients for Fudge Cake

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 oz. dark chocolate (85% cocoa)

2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

1 stick butter, softened

6 egg yolks

6 egg whites

pinch of salt

2 TB sugar

1 1/3 cup sifted cake flour, returned to sifter

Oops.

Did I say sifted?

Hmm. 

That might have led to spongecake had I sifted.

Why don't I read and pay attention?

Oh well,

I ended up with a wonderful cake anyway.

It just wasn't spongecake.

Heat oven to 350°.

Melt chocolates in double boiler until melted and smooth.

Remove from heat and beat in butter

by spoonfuls until creamy and smooth.

Let cool to tepid.

Beat egg yolks, gradually adding sugar,

until thick and pale yellow.

Beat egg white and salt together in another bowl 

until soft peaks are formed.

Sprinkle in sugar

and beat until stiff peaks are formed.

Fold chocolate and butter into egg yolks,

then fold in 1/4 of the egg whites.

When partially blended,

sift on 1/4 of the flour

and continue folding,

alternating quickly with egg whites and more flour

until all are incorporated.

Pour batter into cake pans

and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes,

or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan 5 minutes,

then turn out onto rack.

Let cool.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler

then whisk in the butter,

a spoonful at a time.

Set aside to cool slightly.

Beat yolks

and gradually add in sugar.

Rosie Tip #521:
Whenever beating eggs -
yolks or whites -
have them at room temperature.
Makes for better volume.

Beat until light and  fluffy.

Set aside.

Start on the egg whites.

Beat away.

 

When soft peaks form  ...

...  gradually add in sugar and beat until ...

...  until you have stiff peaks.

Stiff peaks stay straight.
Soft peaks bend over.

Pour chocolate into yolk mixture.

Swirl away.

When combined,

fold in 1/4 of the egg whites.

 

I sifted in my unsifted flour.
Hmmm.
I followed the resift part,
but didn't register the sift before measuring part.

Keep alternating between egg whites and flour.

Lightly fold until mixture is combined.

Pour into refrigerated pans with Oreo crust.

Smooth evenly.

Thirty minutes in a 350° oven.

Cool 5 minutes in pan.

Then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Smells divine.
The dark is the Oreo layer.
The light is the "spongecake."
 

 Youngest Hawthorne had drawn
a "thick chocolate layer" for his prototype.
I was trying to mull this one over
and decided a Dark Chocolate Ganache filling
would be in order.

 

 Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling
3 TB corn syrup
6 ounces heavy cream
12 ounces dark chocolate, crumbled
(I used 4.4 oz. 85% cocoa and 7.6 oz 70% cocoa.)
1 tsp vanilla

Bring the corn syrup and heavy cream to a simmer.
Slowly add in pieces of chocolate,
stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and thick.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

 

 Yes.
 

 Turn onto cake.

 Spread evenly to edges.

 Place second cake layer on top
and press down slightly
to push ganache filling to the edges.

 I'll have to say,
cleanup was not that bad
since verything had been carefully and meticulously licked clean.

 Next, I'm making Chocolate Mousse Frosting.

 Chocolate Mousse Frosting
 1 TB milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup heavy cream
1 TB sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Put milk, vanilla, butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder
in a blender.
Pulse until combined, scraping down the sides
to incorporate everything.
Scrape into a bowl.

Whip heavy cream to soft peaks.
Sprinkle in sugar and beat until stiff peaks.
Add in vanilla.

 
Rosie Tip #522: 
To get more volume out of whipped cream,
I put my bowl, beaters, and cream in the freezer
 5 minutes or so before beating.
The colder your cream and utensils are,
the better the beat.

 Cocoa and butter mixture on left.
Whipped cream on right.

 Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate.

 Plop mousse on top of cake.

 Smooth frosting over entire cake.

But wait.
There's more!

 

 Youngest Hawthorne decided the cake needed whipped cream on top.

 Good call.

 Happy Birthday, Youngest Hawthorne!

 

Just give me a schematic of your ideal cake,
I will build and make it,
and people will come and eat it.

Daughter Hawthorne,
I'll freeze some and save it for you,
or you could send me your own protocake.