Romanian negresă with walnuts and chocolate glaze

Name: Romanian negresă with walnuts and chocolate glaze
Ingredients: 105 ml water; 100 g sugar; 3 tablespoons cocoa; 250 g margarine; 4 eggs; 7 tablespoons reserved mixture; 125 g flour; 1 teaspoon baker's ammonia; 30 g raisins; 75 g walnut kernels; 50 g butter; 100 g dark chocolate

Dessert - Romanian negresă with walnuts and chocolate glaze by Ada G. - Recipia

Romanian negresă with walnuts and chocolate glaze has a soft cake layer with raisins and a layer of chocolate topped with toasted walnuts. The cake stays tender, with the raisins spread through it, and the glaze sets into a thick layer with the walnuts on top; I cut small pieces and eat it plain, without serving anything alongside. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 45 minutes. Resting: 60 minutes. Total time: 125 minutes. Servings: 20. Approximately 225 kcal and 3 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

105 ml water
100 g sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
250 g margarine
4 eggs
7 tablespoons reserved mixture
125 g flour
1 teaspoon baker's ammonia
30 g raisins
75 g walnut kernels
50 g butter
100 g dark chocolate

Preparation

1. Put 105 ml water, 100 g sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa and 250 g margarine, cut into pieces, in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring, until the margarine melts and the mixture is smooth. 2. Leave the mixture for 10 minutes, until lukewarm. Stir in the yolks from the 4 eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, then set aside 7 tablespoons of the mixture for the glaze. 3. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Mix the rest of the mixture with 125 g flour, 1 teaspoon baker's ammonia and 30 g raisins, then gently fold in the egg whites with an upward motion. 4. Toast 75 g walnut kernels in a dry pan over low heat for 4 minutes. Rub them between your fingers to remove the dry skins, then chop them into suitable-sized pieces. 5. Spread the batter in a large oven tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 35 minutes in an oven preheated to 180°C; a toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean. 6. Put the 7 tablespoons of reserved mixture, 50 g butter and 100 g dark chocolate broken into pieces in a bowl. Heat over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring until the chocolate melts, then stir in the walnuts and spread the hot glaze over the cake. 7. Leave the cake for 50 minutes, until the glaze has cooled completely, then cut it.

Notes

The recipe came to me from my mother, from her yellowed notebook; it was my father's favorite cake. I cut small squares and serve them with black tea, since the chocolate layer is quite sweet. Keep the cake in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days; take out a portion shortly before serving so the glaze can soften. The cake is closer to a cocoa loaf cake than a fluffy sponge, so don't expect it to rise high. Use walnuts that smell fresh; if the kernels are already rancid or bitter, toasting won't fix them. In a large oven tray the layer stays thin; in a smaller tray, the middle needs more time in the oven. You can use 1 teaspoon baking powder instead of the baker's ammonia, with no other changes. The cake contains gluten, nuts, eggs and dairy.