ORANGE GENOISE

By gaster16

Ingredients

• Orange Sponge Cake:
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
• 1/3 cup sifted cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons clarified brown butter
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Grand Marnier Syrup:
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liquer
• Orange Chocolate Glaze:
• 7 squares (1 ox. each) semisweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liquer
• 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 9" springform pan, tap out excess flour. Combine eggs and sugar in large mixing bowl. Place bowl in top of saucepan of simmering water, make sure bottom of bowl does not touch water. Heat mixture stirring constantly with whisk, just until lukewarm. Remove bowl from saucepan. Beat egg mixture with mixer on high speed until tripled in volume about 5 minutes. Sift together flour and cornstarch onto wax paper. Heat clarified butter in sauce pan until warm. Add orange rind and vanilla to butter. Remove 1 cup of the beaten egg mixture to small bowl. Whisk in melted butter mixture. Set aside.

Lightly sprinkle flour mixture over beaten egg mixture in large bowl. Gently but rapidly fold in flour just until flour has disappeared. Fold in the reserved butter mixture just until incorporated. Pour immediately into prepared pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until cake is golden brown and starts to shrink slightly from sides of pan. Do not open oven door during baking as cake could fall. Toward end of baking time open oven door slightly, and if at quick glance it does not appear done, close door at once. Check again in 5 minutes. When cake is done, remove from oven. Run spatula around side of cake. Remove side of pan and remove cake to greased wire rack to cool. Wrap cooled cake in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Syrup:

Combine water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to full, rolling boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cover at once and remove from heat. Keep covered until cool. Pour into glass measuring cup. Add enough Grand Marnier t equal 3/4 cup. Syrup can be refrigerated in tightly covered jar for up to 1 month.

Orange Chocolate Glaze:

Chop chocolate in food processor, or blender until very fine. Heat cream in small saucepan until bubbles appear around edge. Remove from heat. Add chocolate. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir gently in figure 8 motion until chocolate is fully melted and mixture is smooth. If necessary, heat slightly. Be careful not to incorporate air bubbles. Let cool to lukewarm. Gently stir in Grand Marnier. At lukewarm, small amount of glaze should mound just a tiny bit when dropped from spoon, before disappearing smoothly into mixture. If glaze is too thick and mound remains on surface, add warm water or liquer by teaspoonfuls, testing consistency until correct. If too thin, stir in more finely grated chocolate and heat until melted.

Meanwhile remove top and bottom crust from cake with serrated knife. Brush evenly with syrup. Place cake on cardboard round same size as cake. Place cake on wire rack placed in shallow pan to catch dripping glaze. Pour glaze all at once on center of cake, allowing it to cascade over sides. Run long metal spatula lightly across top so laze will not be too thick. Work quickly before glaze sets. Tap rack lightly to level surface of glaze, if necessary. Prick any air bubbles with needle. Allow glaze to set undisturbed. It will take a few hours at room temperature. Any leftover glaze can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months. Decorate sides and top of cake with almonds.