Chocolate Ruffle Cake

By norsegal8

A majestic cake and one of many parts: a dark chocolate génoise moistened with an intoxicatingly aromatic framboise syrup, a filling of satiny crème fraîche and brilliantly red raspberries, a wrapper of dark chocolate, and a profusion of magnificent chocolate ruffles. The technique for making the ruffles does take some practice, but fortunately the mistakes are not only edible, they’re usually usable – irregularly shaped pieces still produce a knockout confection. And the chocolate wrapper or ribbon is also eminently doable – it is made by a method that reproduces the quality of tempering without the fuss. Professionals use acetate or Mylar as the form on which to shape the wrapper, but a trip to the hardware store will turn up ridged plastic shelf liners, the perfect material for the job.
Each part of the cake can be made ahead, so that you only have the assembly to finish on the day it is served. And don’t pass up the opportunity to make this cake if you haven’t the time to tackle the ruffles. You can pile the cake with fresh raspberries, irregularly shaped pieces of chocolate or chocolate shards, and it will still be great. Think of this cake as a format rather than a precise, can’t-vary-a-thing formula. Substitute another kind of cake foir the génoise, use whipped cream instead of crème fraîche, or omit the soaking syrup – the basic idea is yours to embellish.

Ingredients

• THE CAKE
• 3 tablespoons hot clarified unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• THE SYRUP
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup eau-de-vie de framboise or white rum
• THE FILLING
• 3 cups crème fraîche, homemade or store-bought
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
• 5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• 2 5-ounce containers fresh raspberries
• 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, for the wrap

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

MAKE THE CAKE
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven or just below the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Fit the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan, one at least 2 inches high, with parchment and set aside.
Pour the clarified butter into a 1-quart bowl and stir in the vanilla. The butter must be hot when added to the batter, so either keep the bowl in a skillet of hot water or reheat it at the last moment.
Although the flour and cocoa were sifted before they were measured, they need to be triple-sifted together. Sift the flour and cocoa together three times, then set the sifter on a plate or piece of waxed paper and return the flour/cocoa mixture to the sifter. Keep close at hand.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large heatproof bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Set the bowl over the direct heat or in a pan of barely simmering water and heat the eggs, whisking constantly, until they are warm to the touch. Remove the bowl from the heat and, working with a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at high speed until they are cool, have tripled in volume, and hold a ribbon when the whisk is lifted.
Sift one third of the dry ingredients over the eggs and, using a large rubber spatula, fold in gently but thoroughly. When the color of the batter is almost uniform, fold in the rest of the cocoa/flour mixture.
Spoon about 1 cup of the batter into the hot clarified butter and fold together until well blended. Spoon this over the batter and, using the large rubber spatula, gently fold in

BAKING THE CAKE
Spoon the batter into the pan; there’s no need to smooth the top or rap the pan on the counter, as is sometimes done with foam-based cakes. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when pressed gently. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cake cool in the pan.
When the cake is completely cool, run a small knife around the sides of the pan to release the cake and unmold onto a rack; invert right side up onto a piece of parchment paper. The cake can be made ahead to this point, wrapped well, and kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

RUFFLE CAKE EQUIPMENT
• 8-inch round cake pan, at least 2 inches high
• 8-inch round cake pan with removable bottom or 8-inch springform pan
• Untreated, heavy-duty jelly roll pans
• Rubber spatula, offset spatula, and flexible 8-inch metal icing spatula
• Decorating turntable
• Ridged plastic shelf liner, freezer paper or 005 Mylar
• Parchment paper or waxed paper

PREPARING THE CHOCOLATE
The chocolate is going to be spread and then scraped into ruffles from the back of four baking pans; if you don’t have enough pans, you can make the ruffles in two batches. Choose heavy-duty jelly roll pans that are neither warped nor dented, neither nonstick or treated with special coatings. Keep them close at hand.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water, in the top of a double-boiler over an inch of simmering water, or in a microwave oven set at medium power. Stir the chocolate regularly until it fully melted, smooth and 115°F to 120°F
Hold the bottom of one of the baking pans over a burner (either gas or electric) and , moving it back and forth, heat it until it is warm but not hot enough to burn your fingers. Put the baking pan upside down on a flat surface and pour on about 1/3 cup of the chocolate. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate thinly and evenly over the bottom of the baking pan; the chocolate will be only about 1/16 of an inch thick. Refrigerate the pan for at least 30 minutes, of for as long as several hours, depending on your schedule. It is better to chill the pan for a long time and let them come up to rolling temperature – in which case they’ll stay at temperature longer – than to catch them the moment they turn cool enough to ruffle. Repeat with the rest of the chocolate and the other baking pans.

SHAPING THE RUFFLES
To shape the ruffles, work with one baking pan of chocolate at a time. Remove a pan of chocolate from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature to warm gradually until it is pliable enough to be scraped.
Place the baking pan on a counter in front of you, a short side braced against your body. Hold the end of the blade of a thin, flexible 8-inch metal icing spatula in your left hand and, with your right hand, grab the blade close to the handle. You should have 4 to 5 inches of blade exposed and available for ruffling.
Using the top left corner of the pan as your starting point and imagining that corner of the pan as 12 o’clock, position your left hand in that corner, and your right hand at 2 o’clock. Press the edge of the blade against the chocolate at a very shallow angle, as if you were going to slide the spatula blade under the chocolate. Now slide the blade forward, moving your right hand down to 5 o’clock and then pivoting the blade to the left, all the way to the edge of the pan. As your right hand is moving down, so is your left, although not as far - your left hand will move down 4 to 5 inches. This is an important point – if you don’t move your left hand down, you’ll end up with tight curls of chocolate rather than ruffles. As you scrape and ruffle the chocolate against the blade and then make the pivot, the chocolate will gather against the blade – use your left hand to pinch the bottom of the chocolate ruffle forms a fan and the pinched part is a little handle. You’ve completed one ruffle.
As you make each ruffle, place it on a parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate. When the ruffles harden, you can layer them between sheets of waxed paper. Store them in a container in the refrigerator; they’ll keep for a few days.
Make 2 more ruffles across the top of the pan, using the previously scraped area as your guide – the left hand corner of the chocolate will be your 12 o’clock point and the cleaned-off section of the pan your edge, or end point. Make the next 3 ruffles just below, then turn the pan around to get the chocolate on the bottom and make 3 more. With practice – and ruffling takes lots of practice – you’ll get 9 ruffles from each pan. Don’t worry if you get fewer at the start.
If, as sometimes happens, your ruffles crack or you get rolls of chocolate, not ruffles, it might be because the chocolate is too cold – give it a few more minutes at room temperature before you try again. If the chocolate melts and gets gooey against the spatula, it’s too soft and needs a minute or two more in the refrigerator. If the temperature is just right – smooth and pliable – but you still can’t get a nicely fanned ruffle, angle the blade differently as you scrape.

THE SYRUP
Bring the water and sugar to the boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Add the ¼ cup of the eau-de-vie. Taste the syrup and decide if you’d like a little more of the liqueur; set aside.

THE FILLING
Beat the crème fraîche with the vanilla to soft peaks, then add 2 tablespoons of the sugar, beating until thickened. Taste and add more sugar if you want, then continue to beat until the cream just begins to stiffen. Cover and keep refrigerated until needed.

ASSEMBLING THE CAKE
Cut the cooled génoise into 3 even layers with a long serrated knife. Fit one layer into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan and brush the layer with some of the syrup.
Put the chopped chocolate in a small bowl and whisk in the boiling water, whisking until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold ¼ cup of the crème fraîche into the chocolate. Fold in another ½ cup of the crème fraîche and then quickly before it hardens, spread the chocolate crème fraîche over the génoise layer in the pan.
Moisten the second layer of génoise with the syrup and set it, moistened side down, in the pan, pressing it down gently to level it on the chocolate crème. Moisten the top of the layer with some more syrup and top with an even layer of fresh raspberries, leaving just a bit of space between each berry. Keep one perfect berry in reserve.
Beat the remaining crème fraîche until it holds its shape. Spoon 1 ½ to 2 cups of the crème fraîche over the berries and, using an offset spatula, delicately smooth the crème over and between the berries. Moisten the remaining layer of génoise with the syrup and set it, moistened side down, into the pan, pressing it lightly into place.

CHILLING THE CAKE
Cover the cake and the remaining crème fraîche with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours, or up to 24 hours.
Run a knife around the sides of the cake, then release and remove the ring of the springform pan. Put the cake, still on its pan bottom, on a large piece of parchment paper and set the cake on a turntable.

MAKING THE WRAP
Using ridged plastic shelf liner, freezer paper or 005 Mylar, cut a strip 26 inches long and 3/8 inch wider than the height of the finished cake, about 3 inches. Place a larger piece of waxed paper on the counter in front of you – this is your drip sheet – and put the strip on the waxed paper. If you’re using ridged plastic or Mylar, put the smooth, glossy side facing up.
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over an inch of barely simmering water or in a microwave oven set at medium power, stirring the chocolate once or twice until melted and smooth. The chocolate should be between 115°F and 120°F. Pour the chocolate down the center of the plastic strip, spreading it with an offset spatula across the entire strip and beyond – let it run over a bit onto the waxed paper. You can scrape the chocolate from the waxed paper later and remelt it when you need a dollop of chocolate to finish the cake.
Slip the point of a small knife under one edge of the chocolate-coated strip and grab the edges of the strip with your fingers. Slide your free hand under the strip and grab the other end. Lift the strip and fit it neatly around the cake, positioning it so that the chocolate is against the cake. Press one end against the cake and leave the other end standing away from the cake at the point where it would overlap if you pressed it closed. Slip a small piece of waxed paper into this spot, just to hold your place.

CHILLING THE WRAPPED CAKE
Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour, until the chocolate hardens.

FINISHING
Place the cake on a decorating turntable and spread the remaining crème fraîche over the top, spreading it out to the edge of the band.
Remove the chocolate ruffles from the refrigerator and, beginning at the outside edge, arrange the ruffles in a circle, planting them gently in the crème fraîche and allowing their frilly edges to extend beyond the cake’s rim. Continue to arrange the ruffles in slightly overlapping concentric circles until the crème fraîche is covered. Put the reserved perfect raspberry in the center of the cake and chill the cake for about 15 minutes, until firm (or up to 6 hours, if necessary) before removing the plastic and serving.
To remove the plastic on the chocolate band, discard the waxed paper “place keeper” and peel away an inch of the plastic from the end of the band attached to the cake. Put a dollop of melted chocolate on that end to act as glue and overlap the other end of the band, pressing lightly to seal it . Carefully remove the plastic. If the plastic sticks, put the cake back into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, then try again.

SERVING
To cut the cake, dip a long sharp serrated knife into hot water, wipe it dry, and cut straight down. Since the first piece is often difficult to remove, it’s best to make it a generous, easier-to-maneuver slice.

STORING
Although the parts of the cake can be made well in advance, the assembled cake should be served the day it is made.