Dark chocolate yeast cake

My sister Susan has always been such a great baker. While my mom was the “executive chef” of our house, Susan was definitely the “executive pastry chef”. Miriam, my other sister, is also an amazing baker and I learned so much from both of them. Thanks to the women in my family, we’ve always had so many different types of baked goods in our house. My parents loved to entertain guests. Our home was always open and filled with hospitality for any guest that may visit. They loved to shower our guests with different cookies and freshly brewed Moroccan tea. This meant that my sister’s had their work cut out for them and that we would always have assorted cookies. I love remembering them all and how each would be unique and delicious. There were sandwich cookies filled with jam and dusted with powdered sugar, ground coconut half moon shaped cookies, dried dates filled cookies and many more.

For the Jewish Sabbath my sisters would make cakes. Susan would make this great chocolate cake with a rich chocolate frosting and a cake made from layers of soft meringue and nuts with a dense chocolate ganache that she cut into squares and kept frozen. They were like little ice cream sandwiches. I wanted to share with you this one simple, yet filled with sophisticated flavors, cake my sister Susan makes. It may look like cinnamon buns to some of you, but this one is more dense and less airy. She would fill this cake with chocolate but you could use anything from cinnamon, apples, pumpkin, cream cheese, dulce de leche or any other fillings your heart desires. This was my sister’s recipe, but if you’re going to make it, make it your own.

Here’s the recipe:

Dough:
6 envelopes of active dry yeast (15 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup warm water (between 105º – 115º F)
1/2 cup white sugar
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
6 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
1 cup whole milk

Filling:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder
2 cups finely chopped good quality dark chocolate

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water and mix well. Let stand for a few minutes until foamy, about 5 minutes. If mixture does not foam, start over with new yeast.

Rub white sugar and the zests of lemon and orange with the palms of your hands until sugar is fragrant. Transfer flour mixture to a bowl of a stand mixer and add flour, salt, brown sugar and white sugar mixture and whisk until well combined.

With mixer at low speed, add the butter and mix just until mixture resembles a coarse meal with some small size butter pieces. Add vanilla, milk and yeast mixture and mix just until combined.

Add yolks, one at a time and mix until soft dough forms. Dough may be a little sticky at this point, this is ok. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about an hour.

Line a 10 inch springform cake pan with parchment paper and brush the sides and bottom with soft butter.

Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Roll dough with a lightly floured rolling pin into approximately 12 by 18 inch rectangle. Brush off excess flour, then spread evenly with butter.

Mix together brown sugar and cocoa powder and sprinkle evenly over dough. Repeat with dark chocolate.

Beginning with the side nearest you, roll up dough into a log, then pinch seam to seal. Cut log crosswise into 8 even slices. Arrange slices, cut sides visible, in the prepared cake pan. Place 1 slice in the center of the pan, then arrange remaining slices around it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350º F while cake is rising.

Bake the cake in middle rack for about 30 – 40 minutes, or until top is brown and puffed. Let cool while preparing the glaze.

Whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle over cake while still hot.

Notes: instead of cutting the log into pieces, you could just bake the log the way it is. Just brush the log with egg wash before letting it rise again.

For an apple – cinnamon filling, peal, core and coarsely grate 6 apples (use a mix of different apples such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Fuji etc.), squeeze some of the juice out and then mix in 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup each walnuts and raisins (optional). Mix just until combined and sprinkle over rolled dough.

Peace and love and chocolate.

Dadi