Precious Art By Precious People

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter
• ¾ cup sugar
• 4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 5 squares semisweet chocolate, melted & cooled
• 1 cup finely ground almonds
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons orange liqueur
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• 1 cup chocolate icing
• 12 rose leaves, rinsed & patted dry
• 1 tsp cocoa
• 5 oz cooking chocolate
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
  1 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

1. 

   Melt the chocolate, let it cool for 10 minutes, then stir.

2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in egg yolks, chocolate and almonds until blended.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; to avoid deflating fold gently and then add with flour into the batter.
4. Bake the cake in a 9 inch greased springform pan in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
5. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Prick top with fork, sprinkle with liqueur.
6. Before using the jam, heat it until liquid, then force it through a strainer; discard solids and then spread.
7. Melt cooking chocolate on top of double boiler. Holding leaves by stems, dip 1 side into chocolate; let set on waxed paper for 5 minutes.
8. Spread icing over top and sides of cake in even layer.
9. Gently peel the rose leaves from the chocolate leaves and sprinkle the chocolate ones with cocoa before applying them to the cake.
10. For piping rosettes, beat together ½ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp cream of tartar until stiff. Decorate rosettes with silver dragées.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.
THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.
www.thasc.com