Gaby
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
8 egg whites
1 cup sugar
200g nuts or almonds
3 tablespoons flour
cinnamon
For the Cream:
4 egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar + 1 packet of vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour
1.5 cups milk
300g butter
1 tablespoon cognac
For Decoration:
3-4 tablespoons apricot jam
200g white chocolate
50g dark chocolate
Start by thoroughly drying the nuts or almonds and grinding them using a meat grinder. In a separate bowl, mix the ground nuts, flour, and cinnamon. Whip the egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form, gradually adding the sugar. Gently fold in the nut mixture with the flour and cinnamon into the whipped egg whites, using a spoon and a top-to-bottom motion.
Spread the batter onto a prepared greased baking paper, smoothing it into a thin layer with a wooden spatula. This batch should yield 2 large rectangular cakes (about 30 by 40 cm) that you will later cut into three parts. This way, you will end up with 6 smaller cakes, each approximately 30 by 13 cm (which will be the size of the final cake). Alternatively, you can cut out 6 circles from the paper, each 20-22 cm in diameter, divide the batter into 6 parts, and spread it onto the paper circles. Place these circles on 3 large baking sheets. This will give you a round cake.
It’s important to bake the batter immediately; it cannot sit. If necessary, prepare it in separate batches. Bake in a convection oven at about 150°C (300°F) for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown, placing the baking sheets on different levels. Remove the baking paper as soon as you take the cakes out of the oven, while they are still hot.
For the Cream:
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla sugar, then add the cornstarch and flour, mixing well to avoid lumps. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring continuously. Place the mixture over low heat, whisking constantly. Once it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and let it cool. Whip the butter and gradually add the cooled mixture, one spoonful at a time. Finally, add a tablespoon of cognac and whip again until well combined.
Top the cake with apricot jam and melted white chocolate, then drizzle a web of dark chocolate on top.
