Coffee Mascarpone-Filled Fudgy Olive Oil Cake With Almond Praline Mascarpone Topping

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease with neutral oil two 9” round cake pans; line the bottom of each with a parchment disk. (NB: To shorten the time overall from start to serving, you should make the praline topping and filling first. Turn the oven on, etc., after you've put the filling into the fridge to chill.)
2. Beat the eggs and egg yolks using a fork or whisk for about thirty seconds.
3. Bring just to a simmer (or until too hot to touch) the water (or wine + water). I do this in a microwaveable glass measuring pitcher (Pyrex brand) for about two minutes.
4. About using a food processor for this: By the very end, this filled to the top my seven-cup food processor work bowl. A tiny bit started to ooze out during the final processing. That said, I’d use the food processor again, as it is so convenient. I’ve included directions for using a hand whisk instead, which works fine if you have a strong shoulder, and also for using an electric hand mixer.
5. Pulse the sugar with the cocoa in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with its metal blade, until blended, 3 or 4 times. Add the olive oil, vanilla and almond extracts, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and espresso powder. Process for a full minute. Scrape down the sides of the work bowl. (If not using a food processor, use a large mixing bowl and whisk the sugar and cocoa first, add these other ingredients, and whisk vigorously, for about two minutes. You can also use a hand mixer, for about 30 seconds once the ingredients are well blended.)
6. Pour the hot water over the finely chopped chocolate - or drop the chocolate in the container in which you heated the water, whatever is easiest for you. Give it a stir to help melt the chocolate.
7. Processing all the while, add the beaten eggs slowly in a light stream through the feed tube of the food processor. When it’s all added, process for another 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the work bowl. (If not using a food processor, vigorously whisk in, or beat in with an electric mixer, the beaten eggs, adding 2-3 tablespoons at a time.)
8. Add the almond flour, about a half at a time, pulsing 4 or 5 times after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the work bowl. (If not using a food processor, whisk or beat the almond flour in until thoroughly incorporated.)
9. With the motor running, slowly add the hot water and chocolate. When you’ve added it all, scrape down the sides of the work bowl and process for another 2 or 3 seconds. (If not using a food processor, whisk or beat the hot water and chocolate until thoroughly incorporated.)
10. Tip the batter into the prepared pans.
11. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes on a rack in the middle of your oven, rotating each pan 180 degrees, or switching racks, if you need to use two, about halfway through. You’ll know the cake is done when it pulls away from the side of the pan and a cake tested or toothpick comes out clean.
12. While the cake is baking, make the almond praline and the filling and topping for the cake. (See below.) To shorten the time overall from start to serving, you should make the praline topping and filling first.
13. Cool the baked layers on racks in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting onto racks to finish cooling. Chill, tightly wrapped, until ready to assemble with the filling and topping. This can be made up to two days ahead of time.
14. MAKE THE PRALINE TOPPING (this can be a week or two ahead of time): In a small heavy saucepan, stir the sugar and water together over medium heat for about 10 seconds. Stop stirring but keep the heat on, boiling the sugar and water together - without touching it, or you will ruin it - until it turns a deep gold color. Remove immediately from the heat and stir in the nuts. Turn the sticky nuts out onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Pop into the fridge to harden. Meanwhile, make the filling and topping for the cake. (See below.)
15. When the praline is hard and brittle, break it into 2-3 inch pieces. Put those into the bowl of the food processor and pulse four or five times. Add the salt, oil and almond extract and pulse a few more times, until the largest pieces are no larger than the size of a peanut. Much of it will be sandy. That’s okay.
16. MAKE THE MASCARPONE FILLING AND TOPPING - which can be made up to 3 days in advance:
17. Stir the espresso powder into the warm rum or water. Stir to dissolve.
18. Process the heavy cream in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with its metal blade until the cream becomes somewhat thick - the consistency of a pureed vegetable soup. Add the confectioners sugar and the mascarpone, spooned into the work bowl a few tablespoons at a time, and process until the ingredients are well blended. Stop the motor and pulse as necessary to thicken the filling a bit more. You're whipping the cream here, so pay attention, as you can go from whipped until thick and whipped into butter in the blink of an eye. Remove about a third of that to a medium bowl (I use a metal one, to speed up the chilling). Whisk the vanilla into that.
19. Put the rest of the mascarpone filling into a larger bowl. Whisk in the coffee rum concoction until thoroughly incorporated. Taste it. If you want a stronger coffee flavor, dissolve a bit more espresso powder in rum or water and whisk that in.
20. Chill both bowls of mascarpone cream, covered, in the fridge for at least an hour, or longer. You want it to be thick and spreadable, like a conventional frosting. You can make this up to 3 days in advance.
21. An hour or so before you are ready to assemble the cake, sift the praline to get at least two tablespoons of the largest bits. Reserve those for sprinkling on top of the cake. Stir the rest into the mascarpone cream flavored with vanilla.
22. ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Put one layer on a cake plate. Spread the coffee filling over it. Put the other layer on top. Spread the praline filled vanilla layer on top. Sprinkle with the large bits of praline.
23. Enjoy!! ;o)
24. P.S. I make my own mascarpone for this. A quart of good heavy cream - **not** ultra-pasteurized - produces just the right amount for this recipe. Heat the cream in a heavy saucepan to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Maintain it there for 3 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. (I realize this is a lot more than many recipes call for, but this amount works best, in my experience.) Stir constantly while continuing to cook at 180 degrees for at least another 3 minutes. It’s okay if the temperature goes as high as 190 degrees. Take the pot off the heat and let it sit, uncovered, in a cool place for about an hour. Pour the cream into a strainer lined with 2 or 3 layers of standard cheesecloth, or one layer of butter muslin. Let it drain lightly covered and refrigerated, stirring occasionally, for at least 18 - 24 hours.