On days like these I prefer to cuddle up under a warm blanket instead of leaving the house.
With temperatures of minus ten degrees and a strong, icy wind, winter is no longer fun, and for an Italian like me it's an absolute no-go. I would love to simply skip days like this! But I have found a way to get through the winter and that is to prepare my mom's chocolate cake.
She got the delicious recipe from Rosetta, one of her school friends who lived in Austria with her husband and only returned to Italy in summer. Rosetta was sure that she had the original recipe for the world famous Sachertorte. Whether this is true or not is difficult to say. But what I do know is that a slice of my mom's chocolate cake works wonders for heartbreaks, crises with friends and even in cold weather.
Mom's chocolate cake
This delicious chocolate cake is my first aid to overcome the winter blues
Ingredients
- 240 g butter lukewarm
- 120 g sugar granulated
- 120 g sugar icing
- 12 eggs
- 240 g chocolate
- 180 g breadcrumbs
- 200 g apricot jam strained
- 1 pinch salt
For the glaze
- 300 g sugar icing
- 250 g chocolate
- 120 ml water
Instructions
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Pre-heat the oven at 180° C (fan) oven. Place softened butter and sugar into large mixing bowl Mix on medium speed until butter mixture is fluffy. Separate the eggs. Add the egg yolks one after the other to the butter and mix together. Melt the chocolate over a pan of hot water and let it cool down a little. Slowly add the cooled chocolate while stirring, then work in the breadcrumbs into the mixture. Beat the egg white with a pinch of salt until stiff. As soon as the egg whites are firm, carefully add the icing sugar. Then fold in the stiff egg whites with a whisk to create the dough, which should remain as light and fluffy as possible.
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Line a cake ring with baking paper and pour in the mixture. Bake at 180°C for one hour. Turn off the oven and let the cake stand for another ten minutes. Once the cake has cooled down, remove the paper. Then cut the cake horizontally through the middle, spread the apricot jam on one piece and then put the pieces back together again. Spread the top and side of the cake with a thin layer of jam.
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For the icing, bring the sugar to the boil with the water in a pot. Coarsely chop the chocolate and add to the sugar mixture. Simmer while stirring constantly until the chocolate has melted. Allow the icing to cool slowly, spreading it up the side of the bowl with the back of a spoon until it reaches the desired consistency. Quickly glaze the cake with the icing. The cake tastes best served with some whipped cream.
Buon appetito
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