This is a rich, special-occasion dessert that uses dark milk chocolate, an interesting category of chocolate that has about 41 percent cocoa content versus the nearly 70 percent of a pure dark chocolate. This provides a taste with the bite of dark chocolate but the additional sweetness of milk, and often more sugar. It makes this ganache, well, divine . |
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| Ingredients |
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| 8 ounces / 240 grams dark milk chocolate (41% cocoa content) |
| 4 tablespoons / 56 grams Tippy Assam tea leaves (or an Assam of your choice) |
| Half cup / 120 milliliters water |
| 4 ounces / 120 grams sweet butter |
| 4 large eggs, separated |
| One third cup / 40 grams all purpose flour, sifted twice |
| 2 teaspoons / 10 grams malted milk powder |
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| Assam Ganache |
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| 7 ounces / 210 milliliters heavy cream |
| 2 tablespoons / 28 grams Tippy Assam tea leaves |
| 7 ounces / 200 grams dark milk chocolate, cut into half inch / 1 centimeter pieces |
| 1 tablespoon / 15 grams unsalted (sweet) butter |
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| Preparation |
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| Preheat oven to 350*F / 177*C. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch / 20 centimeter springform or regular cake pan with non-flavoured aerosolized spray. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. |
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| In a double boiler or a stainless steel bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. In a separate small saucepan, bring the tea leaves, water, and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and stir to melt the butter, allowing the tea leaves to infuse in the water-butter mixture for about 3 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve into the chocolate. Stir to blend. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. |
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| Separate the eggs, placing the whites into a perfectly clean, fat-free bowl of an electric mixer and the yolks into the chocolate mixture. Beat whites until soft peaks form. Sift flour and malted milk powder together and then fold in egg whites. Fold this flour malted milk powder mixture gently but thoroughly into the chocolate base. Pour into a prepared cake pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cake appear firms, but not dry. This cake is very moist inside and will fall as it cooks. Make the ganache. |
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| In a heavy 1 quart / 1 liter saucepan, bring the cream and tea leaves to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to infuse further for 3 minutes. Pass through a fine meshed sieve into a bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Slowly add the chocolate and gently stir to blend, without aerating. Add the butter and stir until completely melted. Set aside. |
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| Assembly: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Place the cake on a cooling rack, then place the rack on the cookie sheet. Pour the ganache over the cake, using a spatula to spread the ganache evenly as needed. Allow to set. Scrape up any ganache that drips off the cake and pour to cover the cake a second time. (Reheat slightly over a pot of simmering water, if necessary, to loose the mixture.) Cool at room temperature. Makes 1 torte that serves 6 to 8. |
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| Note: If your kitchen is hot, place the cake in the refrigerator just until the ganache sets and feels dry to the touch. Remove the cake from the refrigerator about 20 minutes prior to serving and allow it to adjust to room temperature. |
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