Intensely Chocolate Triple Chocolate Cake w/ Hazelnuts Recipe w/ Lindt Chocolate

Back in February I was lucky enough Lindt Chocolate sponsored a Giveaway on my blog.  They sent me some Sinfully Delicious chocolate to try out and bake with.  I had some left after making a recipe for Chocolate Oblivion Torte w/ Raspberry Sauce. 

So I turned to my trusty cookbook, "The Cake Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum and decided to make the Intensely Chocolate Triple Chocolate Cake Recipe.  Let me first say this recipe is not for the non-chocolate lover!  This recipe will put any chocolate lover in a chocolate coma (in a good way!).

The recipe involved many different techniques, but was a fun experience with an awesome reward....

In order to make this cake I had to create four different recipes - one for Light Whipped Ganache, one for Moist Chocolate Genoise, one for Syrup flavored with Frangelico, and last for Chocolate sheets.

So here we go on my Super Dark Lindt Chocolate Adventure!

Ingredients for the Light Whipped Ganache:

8 ounces Lindt Bittersweet Chocolate
2 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Break the chocolate into pieces and process in a food processor until very fine.

Heat cream to the boiling point and with the motor running, pour it through the feed tube in a steady stream.  Process a few seconds until smooth.

Transfer to a large bowl of electric mixer refrigerate until cold, stirring once or twice.  Don't allow the mixture to get too cold or it will be too stiff to incorporate air.

Add the vanilla and beat the mixture just until very soft peaks form when the beater is raised.  It will continue to thicken after a few minutes at room temperature. 

**If the mixture gets overbeaten and grainy, it can be restored by remelting, chilling, and rebeating. **

Ingredients for the Moist Chocolate Genoise:

8 ounces Lindt Bittersweet Chocolate
1 cup boiling water
8 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 - 9" cake pans by greasing the bottoms and adding parchment paper over the top and again greasing and flouring the parchment paper.

In a heavy sauce pan bring the Lindt chocolate and the water to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.

Simmer, stirring, for five minutes or until the chocolate thickens to a pudding like consistency. (It will fall from the spoon and pool slightly before disappearing.)

Cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with  the whisk beater on high speed for five minutes or until triple in volume.

Sift 1/2 the flour over the egg mixture and fold it in gently but rapidly with a large rubber spatula until some of the flour has disappeared.

Repeat with the remaining flour until all flour has disappeared.

Fold in the chocolate mixture until incorporated.

Pour immediately into the prepared pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Loosen the side of the cakes with a small metal spatula and unmold at once onto a lightly greased racks.  Reinvert to cool.

Ingredients for the Syrup flavored with Frangelico:
**Frangelico is a Hazelnut flavored liqueur**

1/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3 Tablespoons of Frangelico

Directions:

In a small sauce pan with a tight fitting lid bring the sugar and the water to a rolling boil, stirring constantly.

Cover immediately, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.  Transfer to a liquid measuring cup and stir in the Frangelico.

Ingredients for the Chocolate Sheets:

8 ounces of Lindt Chocolate

Directions:

Quick Temper 8 ounces of Lindt Chocolate and pour the chocolate onto six 12" long sheets of wax paper.

Cover with more wax paper and roll into thing oval sheets.

Chill briefly, until firm enough to peel off the paper.


Okay now for the grande finale..... 

Here is how to assemble the masterpiece.

First soak the Moist Chocolate Genoise with the Frangelico flavored syrup.

Place one of the Genoise on a cake plate and add 1 cup of teh Ganache on top, spread and add the other Genoise on top.

Continue to cover the cake in the rest of the Ganache and use the Chocolate Sheets to decorate the cake how ever you want.  Don't be afrid to be creative - it will look different every time you make it.

I also topped my Intensely Chocolate Triple Chocolate Cake with chopped Hazelnuts that I purchase from Pears Gourmet to add an extra crunch.

ENJOY!