White Russian Cake

This is the last one for now and its a bit of an epic.  I tried two different ways of doing this and i may have mixed up some of the photos but they were quite similar so you should get the idea.  It is quite rich and indulgent but worth the effort.  I'm still not sure about the cream mousse but it does add lightness that the cake needs.  It is also fine to use normal vodka in place of the zubrowka.

125g butter * 125g sugar * 2 eggs * 4tsp instant coffee * ½tsp vanilla extract * 40g dark chocolate * 100g SR flour

100ml double cream * 100g dark chocolate * 2tbsp sugar * 75ml zubrowka vodka * 2 egg yolks

200ml double cream * 2 egg whites * 1.5 sheets gelatin

150g dark chocolate * 25g butter * 100ml double cream

Serves 12

Cream together the 125g butter and 125g of sugar until pale then beat in the eggs. Make up the coffee with a little hot water and add with the vanilla. Fold in the flour and grated 40g of chocolate. Make a thin layer of the mixture in a 20x30cm tin then bake for about 20min at 170^oC.

Make up the chocolate ganache by adding the broken up 100g of chocolate to the heated 100ml of double cream along with the sugar. Once the chocolate has melted gently stir in the egg yolks and vodka. Leave in the fridge until thick but spreadable.

Whisk the 200ml of double cream to stiff peaks and do the same with the egg whites in a separate bowl. Soak the gelatin in cold water then dissolve in a tiny amount of heated milk. Mix the 3 components of the mousse together then leave in the fridge to set.

Make the second ganache the same as the first by heating the cream with the butter then melting the chocolate into it. Cool until thickened but still pourable.

Cut the cake in half and place a layer of the first ganache and mousse in between. Cover with the second ganache.