chocolate feather bed 巧克力软绵绵蛋糕 ♫꒰･‿･๑꒱

Rose Levy Beranbaum described this cake to be “slim layers of flour less mousse like chocolate cake filled with whipped ganache conspire to give the impression of diving into a downy-soft feather bed”… i cannot agree more…. ꒰ღ˘‿˘ற꒱❤⃛

Ingredients

Batter
113g dark chocolate, chopped (53 to 62%)
75g superfine sugar
112g egg yolk
180g egg white
3/4 tsp cream of tartar

Light whipped ganache filling and topping (makes 4 cups/660g)
227g dark chocolate, chopped (53 to 62%)
464g heavy cream
1tsp vanilla extract
28g dark chocolate (for curls or grating)

Directions

– line two 17 1/4 by 12 1/4 by 1-inch half-sheet pans, coated with shortening and lined with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the short sides
– preheat oven to 175 degrees and set oven rack on lower third rack of oven
– heat chocolate until almost completely melted.  remove from heat and stir till fully melted with silicone spatula. allow to cool completely until no longer warm to touch but still fluid
– whisk 1/4 cup sugar with egg yolks on high speed for 5 mins, or until very thick and fluffy. scrape in chocolate and beat on medium speed until evenly incorporated. set aside
– beat egg whites until foamy and add cream of tartar. raise to medium speed and beat till soft peaks form. add remaining sugar gradually until stiff peak forms
– fold egg white meringue into yolk mixture
– pour and spread batter onto pans evenly and bake for 16 mins until cake has puffed and lost its shine
– cool cake together with the parchment paper on wire rack and cover with clean dry towels. allow to cool completely
– once cooled, remove parchment paper carefully. carefully lift one cake layer by the short end of parchment overhang and slide it on top of the other cake layer. the bottom layer will be sandwiched between the parchment it baked on and the parchment of the second layer. cover stacked layers with plastic wrap or towel and set pan in the fridge to firm for 30-45 mins (the layers will be less fragile and easier to handle when chilled)
– prepare ganache by melting chocolate with 1/2 cup of of the cream
– in chilled bowl, whip remaining cream on medium-high speed until traces of beater marks just begin to show distinctly
– scrape in chocolate mixture and vanilla and beat just until cream mounds softly when dropped from spoon
– remove pan from fridge. remove plastic wrap or towel and using the parchment overhangs, lift each layer onto a work surface
– trim 1/4 inch from all four sides of each cake layer
– dislodge cake layers from parchment by sliding it gently between parchment and the cake layer, pressing firmly against the parchment to avoid cutting into the cake. if at any point the layers soften, chill again until firm
– leave the layers on the parchment and restack them. cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for up to 12 hours until ready to compose cake
– spread a bit of ganache on a serving plate before placing a layer of cake on top

– spread about 1 cup of ganache on top of the layer (about 1/8 inch think). repeat with the next 2 layers, and top the fourth layer with the remaining ganache. leave the sides of the cake bare
– use the block of dark chocolate to make curls or to grate evenly and heavily over the ganache
– use a long serrated knife to cut the cake into quarters in each direction, forming 16 pieces
– cake keeps for 1 day at room temperature and for up to 3 days refrigerated

Personal notes:

– i used the “default” pan that came with the built in oven to bake this cake and baked it exactly for 16 mins
– i grated chocolate on top of the cake as i do not have chocolate curls

now where should i start slicing from? (๑・ω-)～♥”

Pollution index: 115 (lightly polluted ~ snow)