Today I’m starting a new series on my blog, called Royal Recipes. Tschumi’s Chocolate Cake is the first recipe in this new series. I wanted to make it for my birthday, as it’s the Royal Birthday Cake and it has been that way for the past 100 years. As my birthday is on the same day as Prince Charles’s birthday, I imagine the Royal Family had a slice of this cake at the same time I did. It doesn’t matter if they didn’t, the Tschumi’s Chocolate Cake will be my birthday cake from now on. I loved it, it’s so rich and chocolatey, delicious.
Gabriel Tschumi was a Swiss chef to three monarchs, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, and King George V. He made this cake for the first time for Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth’s Grandmother, for her birthday. As I mentioned before, in the last 100 years, this was the cake for the Royal birthdays. Queen Elizabeth loves this cake. When it comes to Royal protocol, no names and no numbers are ever put on the birthday cake.
Tschumi’s Chocolate Cake. Ingredients for 8 slices:
– 6 egg yolks
– 2 eggs
– 110g sugar
– 60g white plain flour
– 50g butter
– 450g dark chocolate 54% cocoa solids
– 450g double cream
– freeze dried strawberries
Start by beating the eggs with the sugar until the mixture becomes pale. Sieve in the flour and incorporate with a wooden spoon. Melt the butter and fold it in.
Preheat the oven at 160C or 140C fan. While the oven is heating, oil two sandwich tins. Scoop the cake batter onto the tins. Put the baking trays in the oven and leave them to bake for around 25 minutes. If it seems the sponges need a bit more time, leave them for 5 more minutes in the oven. When the sponges are baked, take them out of the trays. Leave them to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Make the ganache by heating the double cream. While the cream is heating, cut the chocolate in small pieces, so it will melt quicker. When the cream is almost at boiling point, take it off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate is melted. The ganache will have a thick consistency and it will harden when chilled.
Cut the sponges in half. Take care, as the sponges are thin. Put a sponge on the serving plate, spread chocolate ganache on top, put the second layer. Spread chocolate, then the third layer, another layer of ganache. Put the last sponge on top and start to cover the cake with chocolate.
Spread chocolate ganache on the sides of the cake. I would suggest putting the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes. Take it out and spread more chocolate ganache. Because the chocolate has hardened in the fridge, it will be easier to cover it beautifully.
To decorate the cake I used freeze dried strawberries. I didn’t have time to make fondant roses, but I will make them next time.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my cake recipe. I also hope you’ll enjoy my new series. I’m very excited about it.
What an amazing looking cake, I love those layers. From its looks it reminds me a bit of the German Kalter Hund, which is a much more chocolatey version of Salam de biscuiti. 🙂 I like the idea of this Royal Recipes, I am curious what you will post. And I love using those freeze dried strawberries for decorating cakes as well, they look and taste great.
This recipe didn’t work out well for me. The sponges were too thin and difficult to cut in half.
Was it only 60g of flour needed?
I had far too much ganache left over, not that I’m complaining. Always better to have too much than too little.
Also not sure what the reasoning is in adding the flour before the butter.
Interested to know what I did wrong as thought I’d followed the recipe.
Am sure it will taste delicious.
I’m sorry to hear that the recipe did not work for you. Maybe the eggs needed a bit more beating, to fluff up a bit more. The butter is added afterwards as is melted and by folding it in, the eggs will retain their fluffiness, which is why the sponge rises. For me, this worked nicely from the first attempt. Maybe you can give it another go, if you want to.
Hi Anca, Thanks for your reply. I will try fluffing up the eggs a bit longer. Wonder if self raising flour might have worked out better for me.
It did taste nice but would like to try it again some time to improve.