Chocolate Velvet

By davidgoodman

This is the recipe for the "famous Four Seasons Chocolate Cake" given to me by my mother. The Four Seasons refers to the restaurant in NYC.

You can make your own roulade cake lining for this molded chocolate dessert according to the following recipe.

Ingredients

• The roulade:
• Butter for pan
• Flour for sprinkling
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 yolk
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch, sifted
• grated rind of 1/4 lemon
• Praline paste:
• 1/3 c. unblanched almonds
• 2/3 c. unblanched hazelnuts
• 1/2 c. superfine sugar
• 4 drops lemon juice
• light vegetable oil
• Filling:
• 4 tbsp. (1/2 of a 1/4 lb. stick) of unsalted butter
• 1 lb. good quality semisweet chocolate
• 1 tsp. instant decaffeinated coffee
• 3 tsp. dark Myers rum
• 3 tsp. kirschwasser
• 3 tsp. crème de cacao
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/3 c. confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 c. praline paste
• 3/4 c. heavy sweet cream whipped.
• The chocolate glaze:
• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate
• 4 tbsp. hot water

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.

2. Butter a small jelly-roll pan and on it place a sheet of bakers parchment or waxed paper. Butter paper lightly and sprinkle evenly with flour. Whip whole eggs with yolk and sugar until mixture is very pale and forms ribbons when a little is dribbled back into the bowl from the tip of the mixing spoon. Fold in sifted cornstarch and grated lemon rind. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake for about eight minutes, or until cake is golden brown but still moist. The cake must be pliable enough to fit into a mold. When it has cooled for 10 minutes, cut cake in strips that can be fitted into charlotte mold or bowl. Mold should be completely lined with no spaces showing. Set aside. Praline Paste: Pulverize both almonds and hazel nuts in a blender or food processor. They should be very fine. Set aside. Brush a platter with vegetable oil. Place sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and moisten with lemon juice. Place over high heat stirring constantly until sugar melts completely and turns light brown. Watch this carefully as it will begin to take on color all at once. Remove from heat and keep stirring until sugar is the medium brown color of brewed tea. Pour onto oiled platter and set to cool. When hard and crisp pulverize in blender or food processor. Combine with pulverized nuts and set aside. The filling: Melt butter and set aside. Me1t chocolate in a double boiler and set aside. Dissolve coffee in rum and queurs and mix until smooth. Whipped egg yolks with sugar until firm and Xxx. Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Fold praline paste into egg yolk mixture, then fold in cooled melted butter and chocolate. Mix thoroughly. Fold in whipped cream and finally fold in beaten egg whites. Pour in the mold lined with the roulade and chill until set about three to four hours. The chocolate glaze: Melt chocolate in a double boiler. When melted stir in hot water, a tablespoonful at a time. Mix until smooth. Assembling the cake: Unmold the chilled filled roulade cake. To do this you will need a bowl slightly larger than the cake mold. Invert the mold so the roulade cake is turned out into the larger bowl. Gently and evenly pour the hot chocolate glaze back and forth over the roulade. Repour extra glaze that runs into larger bowl. Pour from side to side until mold is covered. With a large spatula, lift cake onto platter.