English!

This has to be one of my favourite cakes!! I have no idea why it’s called Tosca. Honestly, the name makes me think about Italy, but I doubt the cake has anything to do with it. Anyway, it’s an amazing cake…it’s really creamy and moist, the sponge is a bit crunchy, while the cream is really fluffy and light, the flavours are very rich, yet they complement each other perfectly… it’s really close to a perfect cake is you ask me 😉 You just have a bite, then another, then you fool yourself saying that this one is gonna be the last one… but you keep eating 😀 That’s what this poppy seed cake does to you!

Poppy seed sponge:

• 6 egg whites
• 150g sugar
• 100g poppy seeds
• 50g coconut flakes
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 dash of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

1. With an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with a dash of salt until it forms stiff peaks. Start adding the sugar, spoon by spoon, and keep mixing as you would normally do with any other meringue, until the foam it’s really shiny and creates stiff peaks. At this point, you can add the vanilla extract if you like it.Using a spatula, fold in the poppy seeds and coconut flakes.
2. Sift the flour with the baking powder and gently fold it in the batter.
3. Pour the batter into the pan (28cm Ø round pan) and bake until it passes the toothpick test. (Insert a toothpick into the middle of the sponge. if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If the toothpick still has some batter on it, leave the sponge in the oven a few more minutes).
4. Remove the sponge from the oven and let it cool down.

Vanilla pastry cream:

• 6 egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 300ml milk
• 1 Dr. Oetker vanilla pudding powder (40g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 300ml fresh whipping cream
• 5 g gelatine

1. Whip the egg yolks with the sugar. Mix the pudding powder with 2 tablespoons of milk. Pour the rest of the milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Add the pudding mixture over the egg yolks, then mix it with the boiling milk into the same saucepan.
3. Put the saucepan back on the heat and keep mixing until the cream starts to thicken. Add the vanilla and cover the cream with cling film to allow it to cool down.
4. When the cream is cold enough, fold in 300ml whipped cream and 5g melted gelatine. (to melt the gelatine, first mix it with 2 tablespoons cold water and let it bloom for 10 minutes, then melt it on bain-marie, never on direct heat and never ever allow it to boil as this will destroy it).

Vanilla mousse:

• 300ml whipping cream
• zest and juice from 2 oranges
• 5 g gelatine
• few tablespoons confectioners sugar if the whipping cream wasn’t sweetened already.

1. Whip the cream with a few tablespoons of confectioners sugar (you may skip this if your whipping cream was already sweetened) and flavor it with the zest from one orange.
2. Mix the gelatine with the orange juice. After about 10mins, melt it on bain-marie. Again, mix the gelatine with 2 tablespoons of cream, then fold it in the rest of the cream.

Chocolate glaze:

• 100g dark chocolate
• 100ml whipping cream
• + few vanilla biscuits + juice from 1 orange

1. Chop/break the chocolate into small pieces and place it into a bowl.
2. Bring the cream to a boil then pour it over the chocolate, mixing slowly. The chocolate will melt slowly, leaving you with a delicious, rich, creamy glaze.
3. Set aside the biscuits and the juice as you will need them to assemble the cake.

 

To assemble the cake, make a ring around your sponge cake. Pour the vanilla cream, then the white mousse. Soak the vanilla biscuits in a bit of orange juice and arrange them on top of the white mousse. Let the cake rest 30mins, then cover the top with the chocolate glaze. The cake needs a few hours in the fridge to set its flavours, but also to be decorated more easily. For decoration, I used just a bit of whipped cream and some toasted coconut flakes.

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Romana!

Sincer, nu stiu de ce ii zice Tosca, caci numele ma duce cu gandul la Italia si cu toate astea nu mi se pare a fi un tort care se trage din insorita Italie. Insa de oriunde ar fi, trebuie sa recunosc ca este unul din cele mai bune torturi mancate vreodata. Reteta originala o gasiti pe forum. Eu, ca de obicei, i-am adus cateva modificari, insa nu am nicio indoiala ca orice varianta ati incerca, va iesi super.

Ingrediente blat:

• 6 albusuri
• 150g zahar
• 100g mac
• 50g nuca de cocos
• 3 linguri de faina
• 1 lingurita praf de copt
• 1 praf de sare
• 1 lingurita extract de vanilie

1. Bateti albusurile cu sare pana obtineti o spuma ferma, apoi adaugati zaharul, treptat, mixand pana spuma devine lucioasa si nu se mai simte zaharul in compozitie. Adaugati extractul de vanilie.
2. Cu o lingura de lemn, incorporati macul si nuca de cocos. 
3. Cerneti faina cu praful de copt si incorporati in aluat cu miscari usoare. 
4. Puneti aluatul in tava de copt (28cm Ø) si coaceti la 180gC pana trece testul scobitorii. Pentru ca blatul sa nu se stranga pe margini la copt, va recomand sa ungeti (sau sa tapetati cu hartie de copt) doar fundul tavii, nu si lateralele.
5. Cand blatul e gata, scoateti din cuptor si lasati sa se raceasca.

 

Ingrediente crema vanilie:

• 6 galbenusuri
• 6 linguri zahar
• 1 plic budinca de vanilie
• 300ml lapte
• 1 lingurita extract de vanilie
• 300ml frisca lichida
• 5g gelatina

1. Amestecati galbenusurile cu zaharul si praful de budinca cu 3 linguri de lapte. Puneti restul de lapte la fiert. Adaugati budinca peste galbenusuri, apoi turnati laptele fierbinte, amestecand continuu. Intoarceti compozitia pe foc si continuati sa amestecati pana crema se ingroasa. Adaugati extractul de vanilie, acoperiti cu film alimentar si lasati crema sa se raceasca.
2.  Dupa ce crema s-a racit, amestecati gelatina cu 2 linguri de apa si lasati sa se hidrateze 10 minute. Topiti gelatina la bain-marie (nu pe flacara directa si mare atentie sa nu fiarba, caci se distruge), apoi amestecati-o cu crema de vanilie rece.
3. Incorporati usor frisca batuta si e gata.

 

 

Crema alba:

• 300ml frisca lichida
• sucul si coaja de la o portocala
• 5g gelatina
• cateva linguri de zahar pudra daca frisca nu era deja indulcita

1. Bateti frisca tare (cu zahar pudra daca nu e indulcita deja) si aromati-o cu coaja de la o portocala. Hidratati gelatina 10min in sucul de portocala, apoi topiti-o pe baie de aburi.
2. Amestecati doua linguri de crema cu gelatina, apoi incorporati gelatina in restul de crema.

Glazura:

• 100g ciocolata neagra
• 100g frisca lichida
• 2g gelatina
• +cativa biscuiti obisnuiti + sucul de la o portocala

1. Rupeti ciocolata bucatele. Incalziti frisca lichida pana la punctul de fierbere, apoi turnati-o peste ciocolata si amestecati usor pana compozitia se leaga si arata ca o crema lucioasa.
2. Hidratati gelatina intr-o lingurita de apa rece apoi topiti-o pe baie de aburi. Incorporati-o in glazura de ciocolata. Biscuitii si sucul de portocale il vom folosi la asamblarea finala a tortului.

Asamblarea tortului:
Puneti blatul intr-un inel de tort. Turnati si nivelati prima crema, de vanilie, apoi crema alba. Inmuiati usor biscuitii in sucul de portocale si asezatii deasupra stratului de crema astfel incat sa acoperiti toata suprafata. Dati 30min la rece, apoi turnati deasupra glazura de ciocolata. Lasati tortul la rece cateva ore si ornati dupa dorinta. Eu am mai batut putina frisca, am imbracat lateralele si am presarat putina nuca de cocos usor prajita.