Spotlight on Chocolate: Queen of California Cake

Instructions

• Cake
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter an 8” cake pan with 2–3” high straight sides (Note: I use one with a removable bottom). Press a parchment round into the bottom of the pan. Butter the paper; flour the pan, shaking out the excess.
• Put apricots in small bowl with the brandy to steep. Set aside.
• Melt chocolate with the butter and 3 Tbsp water in a small pan placed over a bowl of not quite simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth and melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Beat the egg yolks and ½ cup sugar using a mixer at medium speed until creamy and pale yellow. Whisk in the chocolate mixture, flour, and walnuts. Add the steeped apricots and brandy. Set aside.
• Beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar using a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Continue to beat, gradually adding the remaining 3 Tbsp sugar until firm and glossy. (Note: The beaten egg whites should hold their shape, but not be so dry that they do not disperse when mixed into batter). Fold about ⅓ of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate batter to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites quickly and gently.

• Turn the batter gently into the prepared pan and distribute it evenly. Bake in a preheated oven for 25–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the edge comes out clean. The center of the cake will remain moist. Cool cake in the pan; it will crack and settle in the center as it cools, leaving a higher rim around the edges. Run a knife around the cake close to the side to loosen it. Place an 8” cardboard circle onto the cake and press down to make the top even. Turn the cake out of the pan onto the cardboard circle so that the bottom becomes the top (Note: if the pan does not have a removable bottom, a smack on the counter might be needed to unmold) and peel off the parchment paper.
• Cake may be made several days in advance or frozen. It is best to bake it at least a day ahead, and glaze on the day of serving.
• Glaze
• Place butter, chocolate, and corn syrup in top of a double boiler and melt gently over low heat. Stir frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.
• Cool the glaze until almost set but still spreadable. Brush crumbs off the cake, and place on top of a round cardboard base. Rest the cake with cardboard round on the fingers of one hand; with a spatula in the other hand, spread edges and top of cake with just enough cooled glaze to smooth out imperfections, cracks or ragged places. (Note: This is called crumb coating, which provides a smooth base for the glaze.) Be careful not to get any crumbs into the glaze.

• Reheat the glaze gently over simmering water until smooth and pourable but not thin and watery. Strain heated glaze through a fine sieve. This will remove stray crumbs and air bubbles and guarantee a smoother looking glaze. (Note: I admit to skipping the straining step. I remove a small amount of the glaze, maybe a half cup, to a smaller container. It cools quickly, and I use it to do the crumb coat. If I am absolutely positive there are no crumbs in what is left, I may return the glaze to the larger pan, but usually I just use it all. I have never had a problem with air bubbles.)
• Place the cake with cardboard base onto a turntable or plate and pour the remaining glaze all at once onto the center of the cake. Tip the cake to prevent a too-thick layer settling in the center. Use a metal spatula to coax it over the edges and to lift up glaze from the turntable or plate to fill in the sides. Use the spatula only to encourage glaze to cover cake—do not keep spreading or working the glaze.
• Lift the cake up off the plate or turntable (Note: the cardboard base makes this easy) and place it on a wire rack until dripping stops, then place the cake on a doily or serving platter. Allow glaze to set before decorating with walnuts. DO NOT REFRIGERATE THE CAKE; this dulls the glaze.
• Walnuts
• Skewer each walnut on the end of a wooden skewer. Dissolve sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan. Cover and cook 4–5 minutes. Uncover but do not stir. Wash crystals down from sides of pan with pastry brush that has been dipped in cold water. Continue to cook without stirring until syrup is a medium dark amber color. (Note: This is easier if your pan has a shiny or light-colored interior if you have a choice.)
• Remove from heat and quickly dip each skewered walnut half in the syrup. Set dipped, skewered nuts on the rim of a cake pan to drip, cool, and harden. Remove nuts from skewer, snip off any caramel tails which may have formed, and place the nuts evenly spaced around the outside top edge of the glazed cake.