The recipe is for 12 cakes of 5 cm x 5 cm (choose an oven form with the proper size, slightly bigger because the hard edges of the leaf will be removed. I’ve used an oven form approx. 23 cm long and 18 wide).
Steps:
1.The caramel syrup (it will be used for the leaf and 2 tablespoons for the glaze).
½ cup sugar
¼ cup warm water
Put the sugar in a saucepan, on low heat, and melt it until it gets a nice amber color. Add the water and mix, still on the heat, until the sugar dissolves.
Allow to cool
2. The rum syrup
¾ cup water
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoon rum essence
Put the sugar with water in a saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring it to the boil. Allow to cool, then add the rum essence and mix well
3. The leaf
350 g flour
100 g sugar
375 ml the soymilk
125 ml sunflower oil
1 teaspoon rum essence
the caramel sugar syrup prepared above (set 2 tablespoons aside for the glaze)
a pinch of salt
1 packet (15g) baking powder
Mix the soymilk, oil, salt, rum essence, caramel syrup and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the flour little by little, taking care not to form lumps. Finally add the baking powder and mix well.
Grease the oven form with a little bit oil and sprinkle with flour. Pour the mix into the form and bake (in the preheated oven) on medium heat (175 C), for 30 minutes. Check with a straw/toothpick if the dough is baked inside, if the dough sticks to the straw bake for a few minutes longer.
Allow to cool, remove it from the form, level it cutting off the top then cut horizontally into two equal parts.
4. The cream
While the cake bakes in the oven we prepare the cream. (put aside 2-3 tablespoons of the cream for decorating the cakes).
200 ml vegetable whipping cream (I used Soyatoo)
150 g Soft silken tofu (I used Taifun)
2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste, the vegetable cream that I used it was quite sweet)
100 g pure chocolate, good quality
Whip the cream with a mixer / food processor until stiff.
Drain the tofu well and blend it until smooth.
Add the tofu and sugar by the whipped cream. Mix until everything is incorporated.
Melt the chocolate over a steam bath (bain-marie), let it cool slightly then add it little by little to the cream-tofu mix while processing.
Refrigerate for half an hour.
Assemble the cakes:
I’ve used a plastic cutting board with a baking paper on top of it. You can also use a tray.
Place a leaf on the cutting board (tray) and pour half of the rum syrup on it, little by little and wait until it is absorbed completely.
Spread the chocolate cream evenly over the leaf.
Add the second leaf on top and pour the rest of the rum syrup just like for the first one.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours (I’ve prepared it the day before and refrigerated overnight).
Remove it from the fridge and cut it, with a sharp knife, in 12 pieces, each one with a size of 5 cm 5 cm (remove the hard edges if needed, I’ve removed about 1 cm each side).
5. The glaze
250 g sugar
75 ml water
2 tablespoons caramel syrup (see above)
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
50 g pure chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put the water, sugar and caramel syrup in a saucepan, over medium heat, stir continuously and boil for 2-3 minutes. Take off the heat, let it slightly cool, it must be still hot, and add the cocoa powder, chocolate and vanilla. Mix well until smooth then pour it with a spoon over each cake.
You have to work quickly with the glaze. To obtain a nice glaze on cake, with no signs on it you must pour it at once, the icing fluid will flow over the edges.
If the glazing forms crystals or hardens and becomes difficult to pour then heat it again a little bit.
Refrigerate for half an hour then you can decorate them with the rest of the cream.
Se obtin 12 amandine cu dimensiunea de 5 cm X 5 cm (atentie cand alegeti forma de cuptor, sa aiba aproximativ dimensiunile necesare, putin mai mare caci marginile blatului se vor indeparta. Eu am folosit un vas de yena de aprox. 23 cm lungime si 18 latime).
Pasii de preparare
1. Sirop de zahar ars ( va fi folosit pentru compozitia blatului si pentru glazura).
½ cana zahar
¼ cana apa calda
Se pune zaharul intr-o craticioara, la foc mic, pana cand se caramelizeaza. Atentie sa nu se arda prea mult, trebuie sa aiba o culoare de chihlimbar. Se stinge cu apa si se amesteca, pe foc, pana cand se dizolva tot zaharul ars.
Se lasa la racit.
2. Sirop de rom pentru insiropat blatul
¾ cana apa
½ cana zahar
1 ½ lingura esenta de rom
Se pune zaharul impreuna cu apa intr-o craticioara si se amesteca pana cand zaharul s-a topit. Se da cateva clocote si se ia de pe foc. Se lasa la racit apoi se adauga esenta de rom si se amesteca bine.
3. Blatul
350 g faina
100 g zahar
375 ml lapte de soia
125 ml ulei de floarea soarelui
1 lingurita esenta de rom
siropul de zahar ars preparat mai sus (din care se vor opri aprox. 2 linguri ce vor fi folosite pentru glazura)
un varf de sare
1 pachet praf de copt
Se amesteca cu un tel/mixer laptele de soia, uleiul, sarea, esenta de rom, siropul de zahar ars si zaharul pana cand zaharul s-a dizolvat. Se adauga faina, putin cate putin, avand grija sa nu se formeze cocoloase. La final se adauga praful de copt si se amesteca bine.
Forma de cuptor se unge cu putin ulei si se tapeteaza cu faina. Se toarna compozitia in forma si sa da la cuptorul incins in prealabil, la foc mediu, 175 C, pentru aprox. 30 minute. Se incearca cu o scobitoare daca s-a copt in interior, in caz contrar se mai coace inca cateva minute.
Cand blatul s-a copt, se lasa la racit in forma.
Se scoate din forma, se niveleaza partea de la suprafata apoi se taie pe orizontala in doua parti egale.
4. Crema
Cat timp blatul este la cuptor si se raceste vom pregati crema. Vom opri 2-3 linguri din crema pentru a le folosi la ornarea amandinelor.
200 ml frisca vegetala lichida
150 g soft silken tofu
2 linguri zahar (sau dupa gust, frisca vegetala pe care am folosit-o a fost destul de dulce)
100 g ciocolata pura, de calitate
Se bate frisca cu un mixer/robot de bucatarie pana cand se intareste.
Tofu se scurge bine si se mixeaza cu ajutorul unui blender/mixer pana cand se obtine o pasta fina.
Se adauga toful si zaharul peste frisca batuta. Se mixeaza pana cand totul este incorporat.
Ciocolata se topeste la baie de aburi, se lasa putin la racit, atat cat sa nu fie fierbinte, apoi se adauga, putin cate putin, peste compozitia de frisca si tofu in timp ce se mixeaza continuu.
Se da la frigider jumatate de ora.
Asamblarea amandinelor:
Pentru constructia amandinelor eu am folosit un fund de plastic peste care am pus o hartie pergament. Se poate folosi si o tava.
Se pune un blat pe fundul de plastic (tava) si se insiropeaza cu jumatate din siropul cu rom. Siropul se va pune putin cate putin si se va astepta pana este absorbit in totalitate.
Peste blat se intinde uniform crema de ciocolata.
Se adauga al doilea blat. Se insiropeaza la fel ca primul.
Se acopera cu o folie de plastic si se da la frigider pentru cel putin 2-3 ore (eu am preparat cu o zi inainte si am lasat la frigider peste noapte).
Inainte de a se pregati glazura se scoate din frigider si se taie, cu un cutit bine ascutit, in 12 bucati, fiecare cu o diemnsiune de 5 cm pe 5 cm (se vor indeparta marginile daca este nevoie, eu am indepartat cca. 1 cm pe fiecare latura).
5. Glazura
250 g zahar
75 ml apa
2 linguri sirop de zahar ars (vezi mai sus)
2 lingurite cacao, cernuta
50 g ciocolata pura
1 lingurita esenta de vanilie
Intr-o craticioara se pun apa, zaharul si siropul de zahar ars. Se amesteca continuu si sa da in fiert 2-3 minute. Se ia de pe foc iar cand s-a racit foarte putin, fiind inca fierbinte, se adauga cacaoa, ciocolata si esenta de vanilie. Se amesteca bine pana se omogenizeaza si se toarna, cu lingura, peste fiecare amandina.
Cu glazura trebuie lucrat repede. Ca sa obtinem o glazura uniforma pe prajitura, fara semne, trebuie sa o turnam toata dintr-o data, glazura fiind fluida se va revarsa singura peste margini.
Daca cumva se formeaza cristale sau se intareste si devine nemanevrabila, se mai incalzeste putin pe foc.
Amandinele glazurate se dau la frigider pentru inca jumatate de ora apoi se pot orna cu restul de crema.