New Year's Cake

Happy New Year, wishing you health and the fulfillment of all your wishes! Happy New Year!

To prepare a delicious cake that will delight your senses in the new year, we will start with the sponge. In a pot, we pour boiling water over the cocoa, stirring vigorously until we obtain a homogeneous mixture. This is when the intense aroma of cocoa will unfold. We let the mixture cool slightly. In the meantime, we separate the egg whites from the yolks. We beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they become fluffy and airy. After obtaining a firm meringue, we gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat until the meringue becomes stiff and glossy.

In another bowl, we add the oil in a thin stream over the yolks, along with the rum essence which will give the cake an aromatic note. Finally, we incorporate the cooled cocoa mixture. We pour the yolk mixture over the meringue, mixing with a spatula, being careful not to lose the air in the mixture. Finally, we add the flour mixed with the baking powder, integrating them gently. The resulting mixture is poured into a round mold with a diameter of 20 cm, which we have previously lined. We bake it in the oven at medium heat for about 25 minutes. We do the toothpick test to ensure that the sponge is perfectly baked.

While the sponge cools, we prepare the white chocolate mousse. In a bowl, we hydrate the gelatin in 4 tablespoons of cold water for 10 minutes. We break the white chocolate into pieces and mix it with 100 ml of liquid cream, then we put it on the heat, stirring continuously until it melts. We melt the hydrated gelatin over low heat without boiling, then we add it to the melted chocolate and mix well. We let the mixture cool before combining it with the remaining whipped cream.

For the dark chocolate mousse, we proceed the same way as for the white one. And now, let’s take care of the chocolate band. Break the chocolate into pieces, melt it together with the butter and cream in a double boiler. Once cooled, pour the mixture onto a strip of plastic cut to the size of the cake. We let it set slightly and then wrap it around the cake.

For assembly, we line an 18 cm diameter cake pan with plastic wrap. We pour the first layer of white chocolate mousse, leveling it evenly. We place the mold in the freezer for ten minutes, during which we prepare the dark chocolate mousse. After removing the mold from the freezer, we pour in the dark chocolate mousse, leveling it again. We place the cooled sponge, press it down well, and soak it with a few tablespoons of sweetened coffee to add moisture and flavor. We place the mold in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, then we turn the cake out onto a platter. We wrap the cake with the chocolate band, leaving it in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes. After removing the plastic band, we decorate the cake according to everyone’s preferences. Enjoy each slice and savor the magic of the holidays!