Almond Cake

 Ingredients: 4 eggs, 200 g sugar, 1 pinch of baking soda extinguished with lemon, 200 g flour, 50 g sugar for beating the egg whites, 6 tablespoons burnt sugar syrup, 4 tablespoons water, lemon zest, rum or rum essence, vanilla, 300 g dark chocolate and a square of white chocolate. CREAM: 450 g butter, 300 g powdered sugar, 75 g cocoa, rum to taste (or essence), vanilla to taste (vanillin or essence), 150 g sugar for syrup.

The egg whites are separated from the yolks, taking care not to leave any trace of yolk in the whites, in order to obtain a perfect foam. In a bowl, the yolks are mixed with baking soda quenched with lemon juice and sugar (200 g) until a frothy cream of an intense yellow is formed. This will be the delicious base of our cake. In another container, the six tablespoons of burnt sugar syrup are mixed with the four tablespoons of water, resulting in a sweet and aromatic mixture. It is essential that the flour is sifted twice, as this will aerate it and contribute to a fluffy cake. Now, the ten tablespoons of liquid (syrup + water) are added to the yolk cream, alternating with the flour, taking care to avoid the formation of lumps.

After obtaining a homogeneous composition, we set aside the bowl with the cream and focus on the egg whites. These are whipped vigorously, gradually adding the 50 grams of sugar and a little rum, which will help dissolve the sugar. We continue to whip until we obtain a stiff, shiny foam. At this stage, the two mixtures are carefully combined, mixing from top to bottom to avoid destroying the air in the egg whites.

We prepare a baking pan, which we line with paper and grease with oil. We pour the cake batter into the pan, leveling the surface, and place it in the oven at a medium to high temperature. It is important to test with a toothpick to check if the cake is done. In the meantime, we take care of the burnt sugar syrup. In a saucepan, we put the three tablespoons of sugar and let them cook until caramelized, taking care not to burn the sugar. Once caramelized, we extinguish the heat with the three tablespoons of water and let it boil until the sugar completely dissolves.

While the cake is baking, we dedicate ourselves to preparing the cream. We cream the butter with the powdered sugar until fluffy, then add the rum and vanilla, adjusting the taste to preference. The sifted cocoa is added to the mixture, and the cream is set aside to cool. Now we prepare the syrup to soak the cake. In a saucepan, we put 350 ml of water with 150 g of sugar and boil until the sugar completely melts. Once done, we turn off the heat and add the grated lemon peel and rum to taste.

After the cake has completely cooled, we cut it into three horizontal slices. We take the pan in which we baked the cake, line it with plastic wrap, and place the first layer of cake, making sure the side with the baking paper is facing down. We soak it well, add a layer of cream, then place the second layer of cake, which will be soaked again. We continue with the third layer, which we soak less, then lift the edges of the plastic wrap to cover the cake and put it in the fridge. After the cream has set, we take the cake out of the fridge.

To coat it in chocolate, we place a cardboard or plate on top of the pan and turn the cake upside down. Thus, the bottom layer will now be on top, providing a uniform appearance. In a bain-marie, we melt the chocolate, to which we add a little oil to achieve a fluid consistency. We pour it over the cake, gently spreading it with a knife. Then, we melt the white chocolate, which we drizzle over the cake, and using a skewer or fork, we create a marbled effect. We let the cake set, and in the meantime, we prepare some chocolate sausages for decoration. It is essential to melt the two types of chocolate in separate containers, taking care to keep the white chocolate above the hot water to prevent it from hardening.

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