Chocolate Cake with Rum

Ingredients

• 150 g peeled, ground almonds
• 300 g dark chocolate couverture
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 5 eggs
• 80 g sugar
• 4 tbsp rum
• 1 pinch salt
• 125 g flour
• 50 g cornstarch
• 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
• 150 g softened butter
• 250 g whipping cream
• 100 g dark chocolate
• 350 g dark couverture
• 20 g palm oil
• Chocolate shavings (for topping)
• 150 g whipping cream

Instructions

1. 1.

   Chop the chocolate for the filling, add it to the cream and heat until melted. Let the cream cool, then refrigerate thoroughly.

2. 2.

   For the batter, break up the couverture and melt it in a double boiler. Stir in cocoa powder. Separate the eggs. Beat yolks with an electric hand mixer until fluffy, gradually fold in sugar. Add rum. Whisk egg whites with salt to stiff peaks and fold into mixture. Sift flour, cornstarch, and baking powder over the egg mass and fold in melted couverture, ground almonds, and butter. Preheat oven to 180 °C (top/bottom heat). Line a springform pan with parchment paper, pour batter, smooth top. Bake at 180 °C for about 45 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack; once cooled, cut horizontally three times.

3. 3.

   Whip the chilled chocolate cream. Spread a quarter of it on the bottom layer, place second layer on top and press lightly, then add third and fourth layers similarly. Spread a light dome of chocolate cream over the fourth layer and thinly brush the rim with remaining chocolate cream.

4. 4.

   Beat the cream to stiff peaks and spread as a white finishing layer in a gentle dome shape over the cake surface. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

5. 5.

   For the couverture ribbon garnish, cut a ~12 cm wide strip from parchment or foil whose length matches the cake circumference. Place on a larger sheet of parchment or suitable rack. Melt dark couverture and quickly spread evenly thick onto the strip. Let it set to semi‑firm. Then wrap around the cake, press lightly, peel off parchment/foil, and gently fold the top edge inward in waves. Chill the cake.