INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

a rack, and cool the almonds to room temperature. (Use immediately or
pack into an airtight container and store at room tem for 4 days.)
ASSEMBLY: Cut two layers from the genoise, each between 1/4" and 1/2"
thick, and set them aside. Center an 8 3/4-inch dessert ring on a
cardboard cake round. Place one layer of genoise, cut-side up, in the
ring. Brush enough coffee syrup over the cake to moisten it
thoroughly. Using an offset spatula or a flexible rubber spatula,
spread 2 to 2 1/2 cups of mousse over the cake and smooth the top.
Position a second layer of cake on the mousse, pressing down gently
and jiggling the cake to settle it in place. Brush on some coffee
syrup, and spread on another 2 to 2 1/2 cups of mousse; smooth the
top so it is level with the edge of the dessert ring. (Extra syrup
can be refrigerated for another use, and the mousse -- delicious on
its own -- can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for a month.) To
set the cake, transfer to the freezer and freeze for 2 hours. (The
cake can be made to this point and frozen for up to a month.) If
you're not going to freeze the cake for long-term storage, it should
be transferred to the refrigerator to defrost after 2 hours. Remove
the dessert ring. Using a long metal offset spatula, spread ganache
over the top and sides of the cake. If you want to repeat with
another one or two layers of ganache, go ahead -- you've got plenty
of ganache to play with. If the ganache is firm enough to hold a
design, you can decorate the top now. If the ganache is still very
soft, return the cake to the refrigerator for a few minutes to set it
enough to hold a line drawn across its surface with a knife. (Keep
the leftover ganache at hand so you can cover up any design attempts
that don't pass muster.) Decorate the top of the cake using the blade
of a long, serrated bread knife. Hold the handle of the knife with
one hand and the tip with the other. Starting at one edge of the cake
and holding the knife almost perpendicular to the cake, gently slide
the knife from one side of the cake to the other. Without "losing
your place" at the edge of the cake, shift the blade about 1/16-inch
and slide it 1/16-inch back to the opposite edge of the cake. You
will have created the first V in a herringbone pattern. Continue
until you have decorated the entire top of the cake. If the knife
blade becomes clogged with ganache, clean the blade before continuing
the pattern. Return the cake to the refrigerator for a few minutes to
set the design. If you prefer, the cake can be finished with a
flat-top -- is, a smooth coating of ganache -- or you can decorate
the top with swirls, ridges, or any other pattern that pleases you.
The last step is to press the toasted almonds against the sides of
the cake. (If the ganache has set so it's very firm and the almonds
won't stick to the sides, just warm the sides slightly with a hair
dryer-lightly melting the ganache will help the almonds to adhere.)
The cake can be served now or chilled until serving time. If the cake
is very cold and firm, let it rest at room temperature for 15 to 30
minutes before serving. Makes 1 cake.
Recipe Source: Martha Stewart Living - <www.marthastewart.com> Recipe
adapted from "Desserts by Pierre Herme," by Dorie Greenspan, (Little,
Brown)
Formatted for Mastercook by Lynn Thomas - dcqp82a@prodigy.com
Recipe by: Martha Stewart
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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