Mocha Almond Zebra Torte Recipe

Directions:

1. MAKE THE COCOA SPONGE CAKE
2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly butter the bottom of the jelly roll pan. Line the bottom with foil, leaving an overhang of two inches on the short ends. Lightly butter the pan and foil. Dust with cake flour.
3. Beat the egg yolks with a wire whip attachment at medium-high speed. Gradually add 2/3 cup sugar and salt. Continue beating for two to three minutes or until a thick ribbon form when the wire whip is lifted. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the whites at low speed until frothy. Gradually increase the speed as you slowly add the remaining two tables of sugar. Beat until shiny peaks form.
5. Scrape 1/3 of the egg whites on top of the yolk mixture. Resift 1/3 of the cocoa over the whites and fold the whites and cocoa into the batter. !/3 at a time, add the remaining whites and cocoa. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it evenly with a spatula.
6. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when gently pressed with a finger. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using the foil as handles, remove the cake from the jelly roll pan and place it on the wire rack to cool completely.
7. MAKE THE GANACHE FILLING
8. While the cake is baking, put the chocolate into a small bowl. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, bring cream to a gentle boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it stand for 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth and stir in vanilla. Cover the surface of the ganache with waxed paper. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes or until ganache is of spreading consistency. Do not over chill the ganache.
9. MAKE THE CHOCOLATE ALMOND SHORTBREAD
10. In the food processor, process almonds with powdered sugar for 20 to 30 seconds. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Process until well blended. Evenly distribute the chilled butter over the top of the almond mixture. Add the extracts. Process for 50 to 60 seconds or until the mixture starts to pull away from the side of the container and forms a ball.
11. Scrape the dough onto the center of a 12 x 10 inch rectangle of parchment paper. Cover the dough with a second sheet of parchment. Using a rolling pin, roll into a 9 inch circle. Slip the dough onto a baking sheet and refrigerate the dough for 10 to 20 minutes.
12. Position a rack in the center of the over and preheat the over to 350 degrees. Remove the chilled circle from the refrigerator. Carefully peel off the top sheet of the parchment and discard it. Bake the shortbread for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shortbread springs back when gently pressed with a finger. Transfer the baking sheet with the shortbread to a large wire rack.
13. Place the side piece of an 8” springform pan on top of the shortbread and with a small sharp knife, using the inside edge of the pan as a guide, trim the shortbread circle to the size of the bottom of the pan. Cool the shortbread completely.
14. MAKE THE COFFEE RUM SYRUP
15. In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, and coffee. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and bring the syrup to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the syrup to room temperature. Stir in the rum and vanilla.
16. MAKE THE COFFEE RUM BUTTERCREAM
17. In a small cup, stir together the coffee, rum and vanilla.
18. Put egg whites in a bowl and set bowl over another bowl filled with hot water. Swirl the whites so they absorb the warmth of the bowl. Leave the bowl in the other bowl until ready to beat the whites.
19. In a small heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar and water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Wash down any crystals that form on the side of the pan. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook the syrup until it registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. When the syrup reaches the right temperature, remove the pan from the heat and start beating the egg whites. Beat until soft peaks start to form.
20. While continuing to beat at a medium-low speed, gradually pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the beaten egg whites. Continue beating for 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture is cool and forms stiff, glossy peaks when the whip is lifted.
21. In another bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Make sure there are no lumps left in the butter. Add to the meringue mixture, beating only until combined. Chill for about 10 to 15 minutes before using.
22. If buttercream seems to curdle, pour off the coffee mixture that gathers in the bottom of the bowl and rewhip the buttercream briefly.
23. MAKE THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
24. Put the dark chocolate in a medium bowl. In a saucepan, bring the cream and corn syrup to a gentle boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds. Stir gently until smooth. Stir in dark rum and vanilla. Stir the chocolate slowly (with chopsticks, if you have them*) until glaze is room temperature. To hasten the chilling process, place bowl over a bowl of ice and stir gently, but do not stop stirring or lumps will form.
25. *Stirring with chopsticks will keep the glaze moving without making bubbles in the chocolate.
26. ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
27. Using the foil as handles, transfer the cake to a large work surface. Using a serrated knife, trim 1/8” from all four edges. Brush the cake with the coffee syrup. Using an offset cake spatula spread the ganache over the cake in a thin even layer. Refrigerate the cake for 10 minutes to set the ganache.
28. Spread 11/2 cups of the buttercream in an even layer over the ganache filling.
29. Using a ruler and a small knife. Score the two long sides of the cake in 11/2” wide sections. Cut into strips.
30. Put a small dab of buttercream in the middle of a cake circle. Place the trimmed shortbread on the cake circle. Spread 1/2 cup of buttercream over the shortbread circle.
31. Coil one strip of the cake into a tight snail-like shape. Stand the coil in the center of the shortbread circle. Wrap this center coil with the remaining strips of the cake until the shortbread circle is completely covered. Place the side of the springform pan around the cold cake, using the cardboard circle as the base. Cover the surface of the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or until the buttercream is firm.
32. Remove the side of the springform pan. Remove one cup of buttercream for decoration. Spread the remaining buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake again.
33. GLAZE THE CAKE
34. Pour the cooled glaze over the cold cake. Gently spread glaze evenly with an offset spatula. If desired, before the glaze sets, press sliced almonds around the sides of the cake.
35. Use remaining buttercream and glaze to decorate the cake.