Chess Cake Recipe

Preparation

1. For the regular sponge cake, separate the yolks and whites of the eggs,
2. Add a pinch of salt to the whites and whisk until you get stiff peaks (use electric mixer if needed),
3. Cream the egg yolks with sugar until frothy,
4. Add the flour and starch slowly and mix until well incorporated,
5. Fold this mixture into the egg whites using a spatula or a wooden spoon,
6. Pour the batter into a greased springform pan,
7. Bake in a 180 degrees Celsius preheated oven until the top is golden brown,
8. For the chocolate sponge cake, separate the yolks and whites of the eggs,
9. Add a pinch of salt to the whites and whisk until you get stiff peaks,
10. Cream the egg yolks with sugar until frothy,
11. Add the flour, cocoa and starch, and mix until well incorporated,
12. Fold this mixture into the egg whites using a spatula or a wooden spoon,
13. Pour the batter into a greased springform pan,
14. Bake in a 180 degrees Celsius preheated oven until fully cooked through,
15. For the filling mix together the flour and starch in a separate bowl,
16. Add some of the milk slowly while whisking until you get a smooth mixture with no lumps,
17. Transfer this mixture along with the rest of the milk into a saucepan and turn the heat on,
18. Crack an egg into the pan and whisk well,
19. Add the sugar and the chopped chocolate into the pan and cook over medium heat until thickened,
20. Remove from heat and whisk until cooled down to room temperature,
21. When both the sponge cakes are cooled down, cut them in half (we have 4 layers of sponge cake now),
22. Cut each sponge cake layer into circles using 3 different sized biscuit cutters,
23. For the bottom layer, place 1 chocolate sponge layer, then place a regular sponge cake circle inside it and finally place the smallest chocolate sponge cake circle in the centre,
24. Moisten this bottom later with some milk,
25. Smear 1/3 of the filling onto the bottom layer and even it out,
26. For the second layer, start with a regular sponge cake circle, then place a chocolate sponge cake circle inside and finish with regular sponge cake,
27. Moisten the second layer with milk and spread 1/2 of the filling on top,
28. Prepare the last two layers using the same method,
29. For the frosting / ganache, place the chocolate and heavy cream in a sauce pan and heat while constantly stirring until the chocolate is fully melted,
30. Pour the cooled ganache over the cake and smooth it out using a spatula,
31. Decorate with shredded coconut.