Chocolate Covered Mascarpone Layer Cake

In less than two weeks lovers everywhere will come together to express their devotion.  Whether it be with flowers, candy or a nice dinner; February 14th is the day people go all out to celebrate their love for each other.

With Valentine's day in mind the Virtual Potluck team have joined forces with Taste from The N8tion.com to create 3 delicious 4 course meals you can cook at home for your special someone.  Everything from soup to nuts; including drinks.  I signed up for the dessert course of meal #2.  (You can view meal #1's yumminess here) 

Who else is involved in this dinner?

APPETIZER: Tara  from the blog Tara the Foodie is making: Herbed Smoked Salmon Mousse Croûte
INTERMEZZO: Vanessa from Groovy Foody is bringing Pomegranate, beet root and blood orange savory sorbet with goat cheese and hazelnuts
ENTREE: Susan from 30AEats will share her Fondue (using lobster and beef)
DESSERT: The Food Hunter (that's me) Chocolate Covered Mascarpone Layer Cake

What is this Taste from N8tion.com?

"Taste is a new mixology show that features cool cocktails from the common guy. From the creative minds at N8tion.com, our resident “booze head” Otis showcases classic and not-so-classic cocktail recipes. Who is Otis???? We found him under a bar in downtown Atlanta nursing a Corona while holding a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. No seriously, after tending bars for countless college parties, he honed his bartending skills in local taverns on the nights he wasn’t moonlighting as a bouncer. Taste is a product of N8tion.com, an independent television and radio network founded by brothers Myron and Otis McDaniel."



What's for Dessert?

Chocolate Covered Mascarpone Layer Cake

 
When I think Valentine's I automatically think chocolate; so I knew my dessert would some how involve chocolate. I started out making a sponge cake and it just evolved from there. Drenched in Ameretto filled with whipped mascarpone cheese and covered in deep dark chocolate; sounds like true love to me.


Chocolate Covered Mascarpone Layer Cake

For the sponge cake
1/2 cup milk
4 Tbs butter
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 whole eggs
6 egg yoks

Heat milk and butter till butter melts, keep warm.
Sift flour with baking powder 2x, set aside.
Whisk sugar and eggs together over water bath until warm. Transfer to a mixer and beat on high speed till cooled, tripled in volume and thick.
Sift in 1/3 of the flour mixture and fold gently...continue this process until all flour has been folded in.
Fold in hot milk mixture scraping the bottom well.
Pour into a greased and floured 1/2 sheet jelly roll pan. Bake about 18 minutes on @350 until cake browns and starts to sink.

For the Whipped Mascarpone
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 fresh vanilla bean
1 17oz container of mascarpone

Whip together until thick.

For the Chocolate 
7 Tbs butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 large egg yolk
3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate
2 Tbs heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl whisk the butter, confection sugar and egg yolk until very smooth. Set aside
Put the chocolate and cream in a small bowl and melt the chocolate over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature, then stir it and the vanilla into the butter mixture. set aside.



For the Amaretto soak
5 Tbs warm water
2 Tbs sugar
4 Tbs Amaretto

Combine the warm water and the sugar in a shallow bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in the Amaretto.

Putting it all together
Cut sponge cake into even size layers.  Brush each layer with the Amaretto soak. Top the sponge cake with 1/2 of the whipped mascarpone.  Repeat with the next layer.  Top entire cake with chocolate and spread.