1499 | Cakes au Chocolat à la Czarina.
—Take one pound of puff paste as in No. 1076, lay it over a lightly floured table, roll it out with a rolling-pin to the thickness of a quarter of an inch; then with a paste-cutter two inches in diameter cut out twenty-four pieces. Lay them in a pastry baking pan, and with a hair brush gently moisten their surfaces with beaten egg. Stamp each piece right in the centre on the surface with a small paste-cutter one inch in diameter; then place them in a brisk oven to bake for fifteen minutes; remove from out the oven, lay the pan on a table, and let cool off for thirty minutes. Now gently press down a small pointed knife in the incision of each cake, turning it all around and lifting up the covers, keeping them (the covers) for further action, and then fill each cake with the following cream:
Place in a saucepan five egg-yolks, six ounces of powdered sugar, half an ounce of flour, a teaspoonful of vanilla essence, and two ounces of finely chopped cocoa; range the pan on the fire, briskly stir with the spatula for two minutes, then pour in half a pint of boiling milk; continue to stir until it comes to a boil, then remove it from the fire, pour it into a bowl, and let cool for thirty minutes. Then with a teaspoon fill the hollow cakes with the prepared cream. Arrange the cover on each, and glaze them with the following glaze:
Pour into a saucepan a gill of cold water, and with the spatula mix in twelve ounces of extra fine sugar for three minutes. Place the saucepan on the hot range, continually stirring until lukewarm; then add two ounces of melted cocoa, mix well together for three minutes; remove it from off the fire, lay the pan on a table, then take one cake up with the left hand, and, with a table knife in the right hand, take up some of the preparation from the pan, and gently spread it all over the cover, as well as all around the cake, and lay it on a pastry wire grate; proceed the same with the rest. When all laid on the grate, have in a small bowl the white of half an egg and five ounces of extra fine sugar, then thoroughly beat with the spatula for fifteen minutes.
Make a paper cornet, cut off the point of it, put the glaze into the cornet, close the top with the hand, then gently and carefully press down the preparation over each cake, giving them all a star shape. Let them dry for two hours. Nicely dress them on a fruit stand and send to the table.