Extraordinary Desserts Viking Cake Recipe – BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE IN THE WORLD

Method

• 1)

  CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM CAKE (Day 1)

  ⅓ Cup Unsalted Butter
  3 oz Dark Chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  1½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
  2 Teaspoons Baking Soda (you can taste the baking soda, maybe reduce to 1 teaspoon)
  1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  2 Large Eggs
  1½ Cups Granulated Sugar
  ½ Cup Sour Cream, room temp
  1 Cup Boiling Water

  1 – Pre-heat oven to 275°F. Grease the sides of a 10×3 inch round cake pan with removable bottom with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with a 10 inch parchment paper round.

  2 – Add ⅓ Cup Unsalted Butter to a sauce pan, melt on low heat. Once it’s melted, add 3 oz Dark Chocolate, stir constantly until it’s melted. Turn off the heat and set aside

  3 – In a large bowl, add 1½ Cups All-Purpose Flour, 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda, 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder, stir with a whisk until it’s thoroughly blended and set aside.

  4 – Use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip 2 Large Eggs and 1½ Cups Granulated Sugar on med-high speed for about 7 minutes. Add the sour cream, mix until it’s smooth – scrape down the bowl as needed. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix until it’s fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture and stir on low speed, don’t over mix.

  5 – With the mixer on low speed, add the 1 Cup of Boiling Water, mix just until the batter is combined and smooth. The batter will be thin. Pour the batter into the pan and place on the middle race of the oven. Bake for 60 minutes or until the cake springs back slightly when pressed and the toothpick comes out clean.

  6 – Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely. Once it’s cool, unmold the cake, remove the parchment paper and wrap the cake tightly with plastic. Store in the refrigerator.

• 2)

  COCOA SIMPLE SYRUP (Day 1)

  ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
  ½ Cup Water
  ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder, sifted

  Add ½ Cup Granulated Sugar and ½ Cup Water to a small saucepan, use med-high heat and bring to a boil, stir occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the sifted Cocoa Powder until fully combined. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve and let it cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

• 3)

  CHOCOLATE CRÈME BRÛLÉE (Day 1)

  7 oz Bittersweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped
  6 Large Egg Yolks
  ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
  1 Cup Heavy Cream
  1 Cup Whole Milk
  ½ a Vanilla Bean, scraped or 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Paste

  1 – Pre-heat oven to 250°F. In large heat safe bowl, mix 6 Large Egg Yolks and ½ Cup Granulated Sugar until frothy and set aside.

  2 – Heat 1 Cup Heavy Cream, 1 Cup Whole Milk and Vanilla Bean Seeds in a sauce pan using med-high heat until it starts to boil, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add in 7 oz chopped Bittersweet Chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and it looks smooth. While whisking the eggs yolks, slowly pour the cream over the egg mixture and whisk until blended.

  3 – Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a 10×3 inch cake pan and bake for 30 minutes. The center will still jiggly slightly when it’s set. Cool to room temperature, wrap the pan well with plastic and freeze until it’s firm.

• 4)

  MILK CHOCOLATE CHANTILLY (Day 1)

  6.5 oz Milk Chocolate, coarsely chopped
  2⅓ Cups Heavy Cream

  1 – Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Bring 2⅓ Cups of Heavy Cream to a boil using med-high heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes. Stir gently until it’s fully combined and homogenous.

  2 – All the mixture to cool, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will be whipped up on the day your assemble your cake.

• 5)

  SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE GANACHE (Day 2)

  24 oz Semisweet Chocolate Chips (4 Cups)
  2 Cups Heavy Cream
  1 Tablespoon Myer’s Dark Rum

  1 – Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Bring 2 Cups of Heavy Cream to a boil using med-high heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes. Stir gently until it’s fully combined and homogenous.

  2 – Transfer the chocolate mixture to a food processor, add 1 Tablespoon Myer’s Dark Rum and process to blend. The ganache should look thick and shiny.

  3 – Measure out 1¾ Cups of ganache and set aside to use for decor. Pour the rest of the ganache into a bowl and allow it to cool and firm up to the consistency of pudding.

• 6)

  CHOCOLATE ALMOND PRALINE (Day 2 or 3)

  ¼ Cup Whole Milk
  ⅓ Cup Unsalted Butter, cubed
  2 Tablespoons Glucose or Light Corn Syrup
  ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
  2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
  1 Cup Slivered Almonds, lightly toasted
  2 Tablespoons Grapeseed or Vegetable Oil

  1 – Line a baking sheet with a silpat or coat it with oil.

  2 – In a saucepan, add ¼ Cup Whole Milk, ⅓ Cup Unsalted Butter, 2 Tablespoons Glucose, ½ Cup Granulated Sugar and cook with med-high heat until the mixture reaches 310°F (use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature) – stir often with a wooden spoon to avoid burning. The mixture should be thick and have started to lightly color. Remove the pan from the heat, add 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder and mix well. Stir in 1 Cup of Slivered Almonds.

  3 – Using an offset spatula, carefully spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and set aside to cool. It best to make this within 24 hours of when it will be used.

• 7)

  ASSEMBLY (Day 2)

  1 – Remove the Crème Brûlée from the freezer and unmold. Run a hot knife around the inside of the pan, then use a hair dryer set on low to gently heat the bottom to release it. Flip onto a cardboard cake board and store in the freezer until ready to use.

  2 – Use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, which the Milk Chocolate Chantilly until stiff peaks form – usually takes 2-3 minutes, avoid over whipping and curdling. If you under whip, the Chantilly will not hold up when you assemble the cake.

  3 – Unwrap the Chocolate Sour Cream Cake, use a long serrate knife and even out the top. Slice the cake horizontally into 3 even layers.

  4 – Use at 10 inch round cake board and place a 10×3 inch cake ring or cake pan with removable bottom on top, place 1 cake layer into the cake ring (cut side up). Use a pastry brush and moisten the cake layer with ⅓ Cup of the Cocoa Simple Syrup. Use an offset spatula and spread ½ Cup of the ganache over the cake layer. Stack the frozen creme brûlée layer on top and press it gently into the ganache.

  5 – Top with the 2nd layer of cake and repeat with moistening the cake with ⅓ Cup of the Cocoa Simple Syrup and topping with another ½ Cup of the ganache. Use an offset spatula and spread the Milk Chocolate Chantilly evenly over the ganache.

  6 – Top with the last layer of cake, moisten with the last ⅓ Cup of the Cocoa Simple Syrup, cover the top with the remaining ganache. Wrap the entire pan in plastic and place into the freezer overnight.

• 8)

  DECORATION (Day 3)

  1 – Break apart the cooled Chocolate Almond Praline. In 2 separate batches, grind to a medium powder in a food processor – leave a few larger pieces for texture.

  2 – Remove the assembled cake from the freezer and unmold the cake from the cake pan. Use an offset spatula and spread two-thirds of the softened ganache around the sides and top of the cake as evenly as possible. Press the ground Chocolate Almond Praline around the sides of the cake to completely cover the ganache, sprinkle the remaining praline on top of the cake. Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.

  3 – Place the remaining Ganache into a pastry bag with a ¼ inch, 7 point star and pipe 16 rosettes around the top edge of the cake. Top each rosette with a chocolate covered almond or large chocolate shavings.

  4 – Defrost the decorated cake for 4-6 hours in the refrigerator. Let the cake come to room temp for about 1-2 hours before serving.

  MAKING CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS
  Heat a 12×18 in rimmed baking sheet in the oven just until it’s warm to the touch. Using a offset spatula, evenly coat the bottom of the pan with melted chocolate. Place the pan in the fridge and allow the chocolate to firm up. Remove from fridge, as the chocolate begins to soften slightly, using a clean paint scraper to make shaving