Hungarian Desserts - Chocolate Poppyseed Cake a la Kugler

==================

Chocolate Poppyseed Torte a la Kugler

==================

The Swiss born Henrik Kugler opened a coffeehouse in Budapest in 1858. He soon became famous for his elaborate cakes with fancy fillings. The following recipe illustrates one of the first uses of poppyseeds in a cake and it also utilizes an unusual filling of currant jam.

-----------------------------

Kugler later hired Emil Gerbeaud and together they started Café Gerbeaud, which became one of the grandest pastry shops in all of Europe. It should be noted that in Hungary, restaurants can’t sell pastries. At best their menus might include some strudels or sweet noodle desserts.

-----------------------------

There are several different versions of this cake around, but I have based this recipe on one given by George Lang because his recipes are usually the most authentic. His recipe calls for breadcrumbs instead of flour and I like to use Panko breadcrumbs.

----------------------------

Some other recipes call for different fillings, but I prefer the original currant jam filling. As a boy, I used to pick the currants from several small bushes in our yard and my mother would make them into Jam. I am still very fond of current jam.

==================

Difficulty:

Moderate

Preparation Time:

60 Minutes

Cooking Time:

35 Minutes

Baking Temperature:

325 F

===================

Ingredients: Chocolate Poppyseed Cake

6-Eggs separated

4 Oz. of Butter at room temperature (plus 1 tablespoon to grease the pan)

½ Cup Sugar

½ Cup Semi-sweet Chocolate grated

¼ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

¾ Cup Ground Poppyseeds

Pinch of Salt

½ Cup of Currant Jam to spread on the bottom layer

=====================

Ingredients: Chocolate Glaze

¼ Cup Sugar

3 Ounces of Dark Sweet Chocolate

1 Tablespoon Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder

1 Teaspoon Unsalted Butter

====================

Baking Instructions:

1. While the oven is preheating to 325 F, soften the chocolate in a double boiler and then let it cool.
2. Mix together the butter and the sugar and then add in the six egg yolks one at a time beating the mixture after each addition.
3. Pour the melted chocolate into the butter and egg yolk mixture. Then gently stir in the breadcrumbs and poppyseeds.
4. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form peaks and then gently fold them into the batter.
5. Butter an eight-inch, 3-inch deep cake pan and pour in the batter.
6. Cook for 35 Minutes in a 325 F oven and then let it cool to room temperature.
7. Carefully slice the cake into two layers and fill it with the currant jam.

======================

Making the Chocolate Glaze

1. Mix the sugar, cocoa, chocolate and butter with ¼ cup of water.
2. Cook over low heat while stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes.
3. Spread the glaze evenly over the cake and let it cool in the refrigerator before serving.

=========================================