posted by cowgirl 07-02-102 6:49 AM
Pineapple Marzipan Torte
Biskuit 1: (Make one day ahead)
4 large eggs
2 tbsp. hot water
200 grams (1 cup less 2 tbsp.) fine sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
a dash of each baking powder and salt
200 g all-purpose flour ( 7 oz.)
Biskuit 2: (Make one day ahead)
2 lg. Eggs
1 tbsp. hot water
1 tsp. vanilla
100 grams (3-1/3 oz.) sugar
50 grams ( 2-2/3 oz.) AP flour
20 grams ( 2/3 oz.) cocoa
dash of salt and baking powder
Rum Syrup:
125 gr (4 oz. ) sugar
1/4 cup water
150 ml ( 5 fl.oz.) dark Rum
Buttercream:
1 pound butter (1/2 butter, ½ margarine is fine)
250 gr (8-1/3 oz.) sugar
1 pckg. Vanilla pudding for cooking
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. Rum
For Spreading:
About 5 oz. Pineapple preserves
Decorating:
1 lb. marzipan
powdered sugar for rolling out marzipan
7 oz. semisweet chocolate
candied pineapple pieces, dipped halfway in chocolate
To prepare biskuit: Heat oven to 180° (360°), line bottom of 11 inch springform or cake pan with parchment.
Beat eggs and hot water 1 minute. Add sugar and vanilla gradually, beat about 3 minutes more until it’s a thick mass. Sift flour, salt and baking powder over mix, gently fold in. Pour batter into pan, bake 25-35 minutes until cake pulls away from sides of pan. Immediately invert onto cooling rack, cool covered with a towel.
Prepare chocolate batter the same way, bake 20-25 minutes.
The cakes should rest overnight, but be sure to cover them or put them in a cake dome.
Make a pudding from milk, pudding powder and all the sugar. The milk will be really syrupy because there’s so much sugar in it and you’ll have to stir a lot to prevent burning but this way the buttercream will be so much smoother as if you were beating the sugar in later. Pour the pudding into a bowl and immediately cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from building. Cool to room temperature, it’s important the pudding and butter are at the same temperature.
Beat butter a couple minutes, then beat in pudding by the tablespoon until the cream is fluffy, then beat in Rum. Seat aside, if it’s warm put it in the fridge.
Roll out the marzipan very thinly. Roll on powdered sugar to prevent sticking. You’ll need two 11 inch circles of marzipan and a log to cover the sides of the cake. I had to roll out 2 times but that’s no problem as marzipan is a rather forgiving thingy.
For the syrup bring water and sugar to a boil, add Rum and boil one minute.
Slice the yellow biskuit into 3 layers, dribble some of the syrup on each layer. Place the bottom layer on a cake platter, spread with 1/4 of the buttercream and with 1/4 of the preserves, then put on the first marzipan circle, press on gently. Spread the second quarter of preserves over marzipan, put on the chocolate layer, gently press on. Spread with the second 1/4 of the buttercream put on second yellow layer, spread with the third quarter of buttercream and the third quarter of preserves, put on third yellow layer, spread with the remaining preserves and the most of the remaining buttercream. Spread the rest of the buttercream around the sides of the cake. Press the marzipan strip around the sides of the cake, cut to fit if necessary. Press the second marzipan circle on top of the cake.
Melt chocolate, let cool slightly and spread sides of cake with it, decorate the top of the cake with the remaining chocolate and pineapple pieces, dipped halfway into chocolate.
Let your imagination be your guide when decorating this cake, it looks especially pretty if you make some art-deco style patterns on top.