A unique and one-of-a-kind royal cake. With a chocolate meringue, layered with chocolate truffle, peanut butter cream, and blackcurrant jam.
Ingredients
sponge cake (quantities at the end)
- Eggs, 4
- Egg yolks (save the whites for meringue), 3
- Sugar, 1/2 cup
- Natural cocoa, 1/3 cup
- Wheat flour (or rice flour), 1/2 cup
meringue
- Egg whites, 3
- Sugar, 150 g
- Natural cocoa, 1 heaping tablespoon
- Potato starch, 1 tablespoon
peanut butter cream
- Peanut butter, 100 g
- Butter, 50 g
- Powdered sugar, 1/3 cup
- Cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon
- Sea salt, 1/3 teaspoon
- Maple syrup or honey, 2 tablespoons
- Mascarpone cheese, 125 g
chocolate truffle cream
- Dark chocolate (dessert or bitter), 200 g
- Mascarpone cheese (at room temperature), 375 g
- Heavy cream (30%, cold), 250 g
- Powdered sugar, 1/3 cup
soaking and extras
- Orange, 1
- Lime, 1
- Amaretto liqueur, 10 tablespoons
- Natural cocoa, 4 tablespoons
- Instant coffee, 2 tablespoons
- Blackcurrant jam, 200 g
Preparation
For the sponge cake, line the bottom of a 24 cm diameter pan with a circle of baking paper. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, then gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, continuously beating. After adding all the sugar, continue beating for about 3 minutes until the meringue is thick and glossy. Add the egg yolks one by one (a total of 7), beating after each addition. After adding all the yolks, beat for another 3 minutes. Sift the flour and cocoa into a separate bowl. Add one-third of this mixture to the beaten eggs and gently fold it in with a spatula or mix briefly. Add the remaining flour mixture and gently fold it in or mix briefly on low speed until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven immediately and place the pan on a countertop to cool completely. Once cooled, cut the cake into two layers, saving the crumbs for decorating the sides.
For the meringue, preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Beat the egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, continuously beating. After adding all the sugar, continue beating for at least 2 minutes. Finally, add the potato starch and cocoa, and mix until combined. Spread the mixture onto the bottom of a 24 cm diameter pan lined with baking paper and bake for 20 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 100 degrees Celsius with a fan (or 120 degrees Celsius without a fan) and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove and cool.
For the peanut butter cream, combine the peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup in a bowl. Beat for about 2-3 minutes, then add the mascarpone and beat for another 1-2 minutes until the cream is light and fluffy.
For the chocolate truffle cream, melt the chocolate and mix it with the room temperature mascarpone (add the mascarpone to the melted chocolate one tablespoon at a time, mixing each time). Whip the cream with the powdered sugar to stiff peaks and fold it into the chocolate mixture in three parts, mixing gently each time.
For soaking and assembling, mix the juice of the orange and lime with the amaretto liqueur. Place the first sponge cake layer on a serving plate, drizzle with half of the soaking mixture, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cocoa and 1 tablespoon of coffee, spread with the blackcurrant jam, and top with the chocolate truffle cream (reserving 1/4 of the cream for the sides). Place the second cake layer on top, drizzle with the remaining soaking mixture, sprinkle with cocoa and coffee, and spread with the peanut butter cream. Top with the meringue layer, spread the reserved truffle cream on the sides, and coat with the reserved cake crumbs (or grated chocolate or crushed nuts if you don’t have enough crumbs). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
