Moist Chocolate Cake filled with Custard and Bailey's soaked Prunes.
- 1.5 cups prunes
- 1 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream Liquor
- 12 egg yolks
- 10 egg whites
- 1 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup + 1/3 cups
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 4 tablespoons hot water
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 7 tablespoons cake flour
- 5 tablespoons almond flour
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- 12 tablespoons or 1/2 cup & 4 tablespoons sugar
- 12 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons Bailey’s Liquor
- 2 qts whole milk
- 2 vanilla beans
- 140 g corn starch
- 455 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 eggs
- 170 g unsalted butter room temperature
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Turn the oven to 350°F. Line jelly roll pan (12-7/8 x 17 3/4) with foil and spray with cooking spray. Sieve the cake flour, corn starch and the almond flour together. Set aside.
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In a bowl of an electric mixer, whip 12 egg yolks with 1 cup sugar until the egg yolk mixture becomes much lighter in color and increases in volume, around 2 minutes.
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With the mixer running, mix the cocoa & hot water together in a cup/container and slowly pour the mixture down the side of the mixing bowl into the egg yolks mixture.
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In a separate, preferably stainless steel bowl (make sure that it’s immaculately clean), whip the 10 egg whites and 1 tsp cream of tartar into soft peaks, slowly adding the remaining 1/3 cup sugar as soon as the egg whites start increasing in volume and became white in color.
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Add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture and using a spatula, fold in the flour. Do the same with the rest of the flour.
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Now in 3 additions, fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
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Pour 1/3 of the mixture into the prepared pan, making sure to distribute the batter evenly throughout the pan.
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Bake for 8-9 minutes.
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Bake 2 more layers using the same method.
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Let cool. Take off the foil and cut the cake down the middle, making 2 equal parts.
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Mix 12 tbsp water and 12 tbsp sugar in a medium size saucepan and let it come to a boil. Let cool. Add 4 tbsp liquor and mix thoroughly.
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Pour 2 qts milk into a large pot. Split the 2 vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a knife. Add the seeds and the vanilla pod into the milk. Let the milk come to a boil over medium heat.
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While keeping an eye on the milk, in a separate bowl mix 140 g corn starch, 455 g sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add 6 eggs and mix until smooth and no lumps appear.
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Continuously mixing the egg and corn starch mixture, slowly pour 1/3 of the hot milk into it (this is called ‘tempering’).
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Slowly pour this back into the boiling milk, all the while continuing to whisk. Let it come to a boil and cook for another minute.
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Take out the vanilla pods out.
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Add 170 g butter and let it completely melt.
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Cover with saran wrap so it touches the custard. Let it cool at room temperature and then transfer to the fridge for it to completely cool down.
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Remove the prunes out of the soaking liquid and cut them in small strips.
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Place the first cake layer in the middle of the serving platter.
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Place 4 strips of foil/wax paper/parchment paper under the edges of the cake, over-lapping each other (makes for easy clean up, once you’re done).
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Using a squirt bottle, soak the cake with the simple syrup, quickly going back and forth along the cake (you can use a brush to do the same. just soak the brush in the syrup and dab on the cake).
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Put 1/6 of the custard on top and spread it around.
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Take 1/6 of the strips of the prunes and evenly distribute them throughout the cake layer.
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Repeat the above steps of assembly with the rest of the cake and frosting.
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Cover the top and sides of the cake with leftover frosting.
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Use almond slices to cover the sides of the cake.
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Slowly take out the strips of foil/wax paper from under the cake and discard.
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Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving.