Tarta de San Marcos

Tarta de San Marcos typical spanish cake (for St Mark's day 25th april) with a delicious sponge, a rum syrup, filled with chocolate mousse and vanilla buttercream, topped with vanilla custard, frosted with whipped cream, sprinkled with almond slices and chocolate vermicelli. Simply espectacular.

Method

For the cake:

Grease with baking spray a spring form set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour and the baking powder, set aside.
In another bowl beat the egg whites until foamy, add the sugar little by little, keeping mixing all the way until the mix forms soft peaks.
Add the egg yolks, one by one mixing good after each add. Add the vanilla add mix well.
Little by little add the flour mixture without overbeat the mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared spring form and bake on a previously pre-heated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes or until prick with a toothpick it comes out clean.
Set aside to cool down.
For the Chocolate Mousse:

Heat a saucepan one-third full with hot water, and in a bowl set on top, melt together the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over the barely simmering water, until smooth.

Remove from heat.

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.

In a bowl large enough to nest securely on the saucepan of simmering water, whisk the yolks of the eggs with the 2/3 cup of sugar, rum, and water

for about 3 minutes until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise.

(You can also use a handheld electric mixer.)

Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape.

Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff, then add the vanilla.

Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Then fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don’t overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.

Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.

For the Vanilla Buttercream:

In a large bowl, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and 1 tbs cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

For the Crema de Yema ( kind of vanilla custard Cream of Egg Yolk):

Place water in a saucepan along with the sugar and lemon juice, cook until it becomes a syrup.
Apart dilute the cornstarch in the milk and mix with beaten eggs.
Add the syrup to the egg mixture and cornstarch and cook on low fire until it thickens.
Add butter and stir until well incorporated.
Cool before using. (It must be very thick).
Then place on top of the cake, sprinkle sugar and burn it (with the kitchen torch).
For the Whipping Cream:

First Whip the cream and when it starts to form soft peaks add sugar, and then the stabilizer.

Mix until just combined.

For the syrup:

Boil the water with sugar for about 10 minutes and then pour in the rum.Let it cool down before use.

Assembly:

Divide the cake into three parts. Surrounding the first layer of the cake with a baking ring.

Brush with the syrup, then spread a good thick layer of buttercream, put the other biscuit base on top.

Brush again with syrup and top with the chocolate mousse, place the last base cake, moisten with the syrup and cover with the cream of egg yolk (Crema de Yema).

Sprinkle with sugar and burn the surface with a kitchen torch (we didn't have it).

Place in the refrigerator for several hours.

Remove the baking ring, frost the cake with the whipping cream, use the almonds for decorating the sides all around and top with some chocolate vermicelli.

• Cake
• Spanish
• St Mark'S Cake
• Tarta De San Marcos