Chocolate Tile Cake
Submitted by Ythak
Chocolate tile cake with a flourless souffle cake layered with whipped truffle cream and covered in handmade chocolate tiles. A stunning, multi-component French-style showpiece dessert.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
55 minREADY
14 hrsThis is a three-component chocolate showpiece: a flourless souffle cake, whipped truffle cream, and handmade chocolate tiles arranged across the top and sides. It takes time and planning, but the result is a dessert that looks and tastes like it came from a Parisian patisserie.
The souffle cake is baked in a jelly roll pan, light as air from seven separated eggs folded with melted semisweet chocolate and coffee. It bakes in just 14 minutes. The truffle cream is a ganache (melted chocolate and hot cream) that gets chilled and whipped into a rich, mousse-like frosting. The tiles are thin sheets of tempered chocolate, cut into neat rectangles and pressed onto the finished cake.
Assembly happens in stages: the cake gets sliced into three strips, layered with whipped truffle cream, chilled, frosted all over, then tiled with chocolate panels and dusted with powdered sugar through a diagonal stencil.
Chef Tips
- Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture gently. Stir one-fifth of the whites in first to lighten the batter, then fold the rest. Aggressive stirring deflates the souffle.
- Chill the truffle cream, bowl, and beaters for a full hour before whipping. Warm ganache won’t whip into peaks.
- The chocolate tiles need exactly the right temperature when cutting. Too cold and they shatter. Too warm and they bend. Five minutes at room temperature after chilling is usually right.
- This cake must refrigerate overnight before serving. The layers need time to set and meld together.
Variations
- Mocha version: Double the coffee in the souffle batter for a stronger coffee-chocolate flavor.
- White chocolate tiles: Use melted white chocolate for the tiles for a striking visual contrast against the dark cake.
- Raspberry layer: Spread a thin layer of seedless raspberry jam between the cake strips before adding the truffle cream.
Ingredients
Directions
Souffle Cake: Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃) degrees.
Butter jelly roll pan of approximately 15½ x 15½ x 1 inches; line pan with wax paper; allow wax paper to extend over each end by about 2 inches.
Set aside.
Melt chocolate with coffee in 200 degree F oven, for about 10 minutes, or until melted.
Cool.
Beat egg yolks with electric mixer until smooth.
Gradually add sugar and continue beating until mixture is pale yellow, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture.
Beat egg whites with salt until they form stiff peaks.
Stir 1/5 egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten and then pour chocolate mixture into egg whites.
Gently fold whites and chocolate together until no white shows.
Pour batter into prepared jelly roll pan.
Bake for 14 minutes.
Truffle Cream:
Place chocolate in bowl, and place in 200 F degree oven for 15 minutes or until melted.
Heat heavy cream in saucepan until hot.
Slowly pour hot cream over melted chocolate, and stir until smooth and shiny.
Strain mixture into bowl and cool to room temperature.
Tiles:
Place chocolate in bowl and place in 200 F degree oven for 15 Place wax paper down the length of a 17 x 14-inch baking pan. Secure end with dab of softened butter. Pour melted chocolate on wax paper, and with a metal spatula spread it out the length of the baking pan. Refrigerate chocolate for 1 hour. Remove chocolate and leave it at room temperature for 5 minutes. Cut chocolate into three strips, one 3¼ inches wide, and two strips 15½ inches wide. Cut strips crosswise into ¾ inch sections to make tiles. Refrigerate until needed. Assembly: Refrigerate Truffle Cream, mixing bowl and beaters for 1 hour. Over the top of the Souffle Cake, sift unsweetened cocoa. Cover the cake (leave in pan) with a sheet of wax paper and cookie sheet. Invert cake onto them. Remove jelly roll pan and wax paper. Slip out cookie sheet. Trim rough edges of cake. Divide cake lengthwise into 3 equal strips about 3¼ inches each. Remove the Truffle Cream, mixing bowl and beaters from refrigerator. Place 2⅓ cups cream in mixing bowl. Return remainder to refrigerator. Beat about 15½ minutes. Place one strip of cake on cookie sheet. Spread ½ of beaten cream on cake, top cream with second cake strip. Place remainder beaten cream over top and cover with last cake strip. Trim any rough edges and chill cake for ½ hour. Chill clean mixing bowl and beaters. Beat remaining Truffle Cream in chilled bowl for 15½ minutes. Remove cake from refrigerator and spread cream over top and sides. Remove tiles from refrigerator. Trim the tiles to fit height of cake. Using sharp knife, separate 3 strips of tile. Place the 3¼ inch tile over top of cake. Leave wax paper on. Place the two remaining strips along sides of cake. Try to align side and top tiles. Cover cake tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. Remove cake from refrigerator. Remove foil. Trim off ends of cake. Place cake on serving dish. Peel off strips of wax paper. Place narrow strips of foil diagonally on top of cake to form pattern, and sift confectioners sugar over it. Lift off foil. Serve with Creme de Menthe Custard Sauce.
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