Servings: 12 to 14
For the best flavor and texture, make the cake and spread it with the jelly a day or two before serving. Glaze it on the day you serve it.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the sides of a 9×2-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.
Finely grate 2 oz. of the chocolate and set aside. Coarsely chop the remaining chocolate and combine with the butter and 3 Tbs. water in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water and stir frequently until the mixture is melted and smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar and the salt until thick and lightened in color.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-high speed to soft peaks, about 2 minutes. With the motor running, gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating to stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Whisk the warm chocolate and the flour into the yolk mixture. With a rubber spatula, fold one-quarter of the whites into the chocolate batter. Scrape the remaining whites into the chocolate mixture and sprinkle the grated chocolate on top. Fold together. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out smudged with a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto another rack. Remove the pan and parchment and invert the cake onto the first rack (it’s normal for the cake to have a crusty exterior that may crack with handling). Let cool completely.
Grate enough of the apple (including the peel) to yield 3/4 cup. In a medium saucepan, bring the grated apple, pomegranate juice, sugar, and cranberries to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, covered, until the apple is softened and the mixture has thickened a little, about 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally at first and then constantly towards the end, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
With a rubber spatula, press the pulp through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl until you can’t get any more juice out of the pulp. Scrape all of the juice clinging to the bottom of the strainer into the bowl and discard the pulp in the strainer.
Brush away any loose crumbs and easily detachable crusty pieces from the sides and top of the cake. Transfer the cake to a cardboard circle or tart pan bottom.
Stir the jelly to blend it, scrape it onto the cake, and spread it evenly over the top. Let the jelly cool until it’s set, about 1 hour. At this point, the cake may be covered with an inverted cake pan, wrapped in plastic (the pan keeps the plastic from touching the cake), and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Put the chocolate, butter, honey, and salt in a heatproof bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water. Stir gently until the chocolate melts and the mixture is perfectly smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 Tbs. cool water. Let cool to room temperature without stirring. If not using right away, cover and store at room temperature. Set the cake on a rack set over a baking sheet. With an offset spatula, spread 1/3 cup of the glaze around the sides of the cake and on top of the gel (be careful not to disturb the gel) to smooth the surfaces and glue on any crumbs. Re-warm the remaining glaze gently to 90°F in a skillet of barely simmering water—the glaze should have the consistency of thick, pourable cream.
Scrape all of the glaze onto the top of the cake. Spread the glaze over the top and all around the sides. For the shiniest glaze, work quickly and use as few strokes as possible. Scoop up any excess glaze from the baking sheet and use it to cover bare spots.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds (if using) and let the cake rest on the rack for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cake plate and let sit at room temperature until set, 15 to 30 minutes, or up to several hours before serving.
Love this recipe. It got rave reviews both times I made it. It also gives an impressive presentation. I hardly ever write reviews, but had to for this.
The first time, I made the raspberry coulis as someone recommended (I thought id enjoy the raspberry flavor with the chocolate)...thank you! The coulis layer I put on was a bit too thin so I made a note to add more next time. The chocolate resembled and tasted like a flourless cake. And it is't far from one, having only 1/2 cup of flour.
The second time I made it, I decided to take the shortcut of using store bought seedless raspberry jam. And I remembered to put a thicker layer so more raspberry flavor is with each bite.
This time, the cake was much lighter in color than the dark chocolate color of the first cake. I was very concerned and discovered since this time I used the ounce measurement, instead of the gram measurement I used last time, more flour was used. I recalled the amount of flour measured out in the bowl looked like it was more than 1/2 cup of flour.
In any case, the cake still tasted perfect! I add a border of fresh raspberries around the top of that cake and it looks very pretty. Everyone loved it.
I just made this again after several years and it's even more delicious than I remember. Truly one of my favorite cakes and my guest about lost his mind he loved it so much and took 1/3 of it home. It comes out moist and so incredibly flavorful...looks just like the picture. The tartness of the jam with the fudgy rich chocolate is just perfect. The jelly doesn't thicken up as much in the pan as they say it does, so I stopped cooking it while there was still some liquid but it set perfectly after cooling.
this came out beautifully. I made it 3 years ago and I have been making it every year since
This recipe took a great deal of time.which I do not mind at all if the results prove worth it. However,I felt this cake is very overrated. Too much going on. Made it the day before. Followed all directions and hints from others andit was soggy,very rich for a dessert after a holiday meal. Would not make it again.
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