An elegant chocolate cake with almonds and a refreshing hint of orange. Surprisingly delicious and simple to make with brandy!
Ingredients
Brandy Soaking Syrup for Sponge Cake
- Sugar – 40 g
- Orange juice – 100 ml
- Brandy liqueur – 25 ml
Chocolate-Almond Sponge Cake
- Powdered sugar – 90 g
- Eggs – 3 pcs.
- Cocoa powder – 30 g
- Potato starch – 30 g
- Almond flour – 20 g
- Wheat flour – 30 g
Chocolate Mousse
- Vanilla sugar – 8 g
- Eggs – 5 pcs.
- Heavy cream (30%) – 250 ml
- Brandy – 25 ml
- Dark chocolate – 165 g
Preparation
Chocolate-Almond Sponge Cake Beat eggs with powdered sugar until fluffy. Sift flour, potato starch, and cocoa powder through a sieve, then gradually add this mixture and ground almonds to the beaten eggs with sugar, gently stirring. Bake the sponge cake – with convection, at 155-160°C for 20-25 minutes, without convection: at 160-165°C for 25-30 minutes.
Chocolate Mousse Beat egg yolks with sugar until fluffy, melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a water bath at 35-40°C. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Gradually combine the melted chocolate, beaten egg yolks, and whipped cream. Finally, add the brandy. Chill the mousse in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Assembly Trim the top layer of the sponge cake to level its surface before applying the mousse. Soak the sponge cake well with the brandy syrup. Pour the chocolate mousse onto the prepared sponge cake (in a cake pan), smooth it out, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Remove the cake from the pan and dust with dark cocoa before serving.
