I had a long list of bakes
lined up against this letter and I had quite the hard time picking just one. I
finalized on a bake that has an interesting, scandalous story attached
to it :D
Rigó Jancsi is layers of
rich chocolate sponge cake sandwiched with a layer of rich chocolate whipped filling and then topped with a chocolate glaze. Its chocolate upon chocolate upon
chocolate..every chocolate lover’s dream. It is typically served as a 2”x2”
square. Of course there is no restriction on how many of these squares you can eat ;)
History:
The story goes that there
was a famous Hungarian Gypsy violinist, Rigó Jancsi who seduced and married
Clara Ward, the wife of a Belgian Prince. Clara and Jancsi met in 1896 while
Rigó played violin at a restaurant in Paris where Clara and her Prince husband,
dined. The cake is named after Rigó Jancsi and in honor of their love story. Their
marriage was written about extensively in newspapers back then.
Sources do not agree about the
origin of the pastry. Some claim that Rigó created the pastry together with an
unknown pastry chef to surprise Clara. Others claim that Rigó Jancsi brought
this pastry to Clara and the confectioner named it Rigó Jancsi afterwards.
Whatever the story, the cake
is a must try. It is often made with Rum in the filling, but I left that out so my boys
could enjoy it as well..which they did..plenty of these squares!
You will need:
Makes: 20-24 2” squares
Recipe adapted from here
For the Chocolate Sponge
cake:
¼ cup All-purpose flour
1.5 tbsp Cocoa powder
4 tbsp Unsalted butter
3 oz Semi-sweet chocolate
chips
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar, divided
1/8 tsp salt
For the chocolate glaze:
4 oz Bittersweet chocolate,
chopped
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Corn syrup
½ tsp Vanilla extract
For the Filling:
1 tbsp Cocoa powder
¼ cup Powdered sugar
4 oz Semi-sweet chocolate,
chopped fine
1 cup Heavy cream
½ tsp Vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line
a 12x16 or 9x13 inch sheet pan with parchment paper. Brush with melted butter
and set aside.
Melt butter in a microwave safe
bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips and heat in 10-second bursts until melted and
smooth. Set aside to cool.
Separate the egg whites and
yolks. Beat the yolks with the whisk attachment on medium high speed until pale
yellow and light. Gradually add in the half of the sugar while beating on low.
Increase speed to medium high and continue whipping until the yolks fall in
ribbons form the whisk when lifted. Transfer to another bowl.
Rinse and dry the mixing
bowl and add the egg whites. Beat on medium high speed until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the remaining sugar and the salt. Beat until the meringue forms
stiff peaks and is very glossy.
Combine the cooled
chocolate-butter mix to the beaten yolks. Fold in gently, don’t over mix. Now
add 1/3rd of the meringue and fold. Add the remaining meringue in
two additions and fold gently until no streaks of white remain. Sift the flour
and cocoa and fold into the beaten mixture.
Pour into prepared sheet pan
and bake for 12-15 minutes. I baked mine for 14 minutes.
The sponge cake is very
fragile. Once baked, remove pan from oven. Line a rack with parchment paper and
place over cake. Flip the pan carefully and lift it off the cake. Peel the
parchment paper off taking care not to rip the delicate sponge. Place a clean
kitchen towel on the sponge and flip again onto another rack. Peel off the
other parchment and allow the sponge to cool completely. Once cooled, cut the
sponge into half.
Make the Glaze:
Prepare the glaze by
combining all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl, except for the vanilla
extract. Heat the bowl on full power at 20-second intervals, stirring in
between until fully melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla and pour over one
half of the cake and spread evenly with a spatula. Rest for an hour until glaze
is set. Cut into 2” squares, cleaning the knife between each cut. This ensures
sharp clean cuts. You can chill the pieces while you assemble the rest of the
cake.
Make the Filling:
Stir together the cocoa
powder and powdered sugar. Melt the chocolate until smooth and let cool. Whip
the cream to soft peaks, then add the cocoa and powdered sugar. Whip until
stiff and the cream holds shape when lifted. Don’t over beat It will turn into
butter. Fold in the melted chocolate.
Apply a thin layer of
apricot jam on the other cake layer. Spread a thick layer of filling evenly,
using a spatula over the cake.
Line up chilled chocolate
cake squares over the filling and chill for 30 minutes. Slice into squares
following the cut squares as a guide.
BAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD:
A for ANZAC BISCUITS - AUSTRALIA
B for BASBOUSA - EGYPT
C for CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS - FRANCE
D for DAMPER BREAD - AUSTRALIA
E for EMPANADAS - MEXICO
F for FLAN MEXICANO - MEXICO
G for GRISSINI BREADSTICKS - ITALY
J for JOULUTORTTU - FINLAND
K for KORVAPUUSTI - FINLAND
L for LEMON SPRITZ SANDWICH COOKIES - GERMANY
M for MACARONS - FRANCE
N for NANKHATAI - INDIA
O for ORANGE OGURA CAKE - MALAYSIA
P for PINCA - CROATIA
Q for QUICK BREAD - STRAWBERRY PECAN BREAD - USA
N for NANKHATAI - INDIA
O for ORANGE OGURA CAKE - MALAYSIA
P for PINCA - CROATIA
Q for QUICK BREAD - STRAWBERRY PECAN BREAD - USA
Omg, those Rigo jancsi slices looks as much as prefect straight from the pastry shop. How gorgeous this baked treats looks.
ReplyDeleteOh man I am drooling ! I could just pick that fork and dig in . Too good yaar , So sinful and so well made .
ReplyDeleteOh my! That looks stunning. I wish I could grab that slice off the screen. Drooling here. Beautiful clicks
ReplyDeleteWow, what an interesting chocolate cake with equally interesting story behind it. Love your presentation and clicks.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh wonder how I missed this!..what a sinful treat Nams..too good..loved reading the story and your presentation!
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed this delicious bake last year when baked it. Yours looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteVery delicious baked recipe. Very sinful...
ReplyDeleteHeavenly.. It is definitely a treat!! No doubt everyone in home enjoyed!
ReplyDelete