Torta Setteveli
Today, I’m going to share with you a stunning dessert from the city of Palermo in Sicily that is traditionally served for birthday celebrations and gets it’s name from it’s seven layers, Torta Setteveli.
This chocolate and hazelnut dessert is both stunning to look at and delivers punches of flavor with it’s chocolate sponge and hazelnut bavarois that’s all covered in a rich chocolate mousse and finished with a reflective chocolate mirror glaze.
I’m not going to lie when I say that this cake is quite a project and is not recommended for the novice baker, but if you’re looking to challenge yourself by attempting to make a stunning dessert, then this is how you’re going to do it.
Serves 12-16
Time: 4 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate
For the Genoise Sponge:
1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
6 eggs
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
For the Sugar Syrup:
5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp hazelnut liqueur (Amaretto also works)
For the Praline Paste:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted
2 tbsp hazelnut oil
For the Hazelnut Bavarois:
7 gelatin leaves (or 2 packets of unflavored gelatin powder)
1 cup milk
3 cups heavy cream, divided
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
For the Praline Layer:
2 oz dark chocolate
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup feuilletine*
For the Chocolate Mousse:
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
5 1/4 oz dark chocolate
For the Chocolate Mirror Glaze:
7 gelatin leaves (2 packets of unflavored gelatin powder)
5 tbsp heavy cream
2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
*Feuilletine is a crunchy product made from thin, caramelized crepes broken into flakes. You can find it in specialty bakery or could get it through Amazon.
Make the Genoise Sponge Cake
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F/190 C. Grease a 9-inch springform cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour and cocoa powder 3 times to get it combined. In a large bowl with an electric beater, whisk the eggs and sugar until they are pale and thick, about 5 minutes.
Add the flour and cocoa a little bit at a time, making sure to fold until there are no dry streaks of flour before the next addition, then fold in the melted butter.
Spread the batter into the pan, then bake for 20-30 minutes, or until firm on the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan, remove the parchment and let it cool completely.
Make the Sugar Syrup
5. Dump the sugar into a saucepan then add 5 tablespoons of water. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the hazelnut liquor and set aside to cool.
Make the Praline Paste
6. Heat the sugar and 4 tablespoons of water until the mixture reaches 250 degrees on a candy thermometer, or until the sugar has caramelized to a light amber color. Stir in the toasted hazelnuts, then pour onto a silicone baking mat and set aside to cool and set.
7. Once the praline is brittle, snap off a small piece for garnish then dump the rest into a food processor with the hazelnut oil and blitz for 3-4 minutes, or until it forms a fine paste. Set aside.
Make the Hazelnut Bavarois
8. Soak the gelatin in cold water to let it bloom.
9. Pour the milk, 1 cup of cream and 3/4 cup of the praline paste into a saucepan then heat until it’s very hot, but not boiling.
10. While the milk mixture heats, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks and whisk to combine, then pour that back into the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon.
11. Squeeze the excess water out of the gelatin, then stir that into the custard to dissolve. Pass through a fine mesh strainer, cover directly with plastic wrap, then let it cool to room temp on the countertop.
12. Whip the remaining 2 cups of cream to stiff peaks then add 1/3 of that into the custard mixture and whisk to combine, then add the remaining 2/3 of the cream and gently fold until you no longer see any streaks of cream.
Make the Praline Layer
13. Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval. Add in the feuilletine and remaining praline paste. Set aside.
Assemble the Torta
14. If you want to, line the edges of your springform pan with a sheet of acetate. Use a serrated knife to remove any domed top on the cake to make it flat, then place that at the bottom. Carefully use your knife to cut the cake layer in half, place one delicate slice on the bottom of your pan, then brush with half of the sugar syrup.
15. Spoon the praline layer on top of the cake, then spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. Pour half of the bavarois on top of that, then place into the freezer for 15 minutes to set.
16. Lay the other cake layer on top of the praline layer, and brush that with the remaining syrup, then top that with the remaining bavarois. Let that freeze for 45 minutes, or until very firm.
Make the Chocolate Mousse
17. Pour 2/3 cup of cream into a saucepan, then bring that to a simmer. Pour that over the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, then let that sit for a few minutes before stirring until smooth.
18. Whip the remaining cup of cream to stiff peaks and, just like with the bavarois, beat 1/3 of the cream into the chocolate before folding in the rest.
19. Remove the firm cake from the freezer then carefully remove the sides of the springform pan and the acetate sheets, if using. Spoon the chocolate mousse onto the cake then smooth out the top and sides. Freeze for another 30 minutes.
Make the Chocolate Mirror Glaze
20. Soak the gelatin in cold water to soften and bloom
21. Put 2 1/2 tbsp of water into a saucepan along with the cream, chocolate, and sugar. Heat the mixture to 217 degrees on a sugar thermometer, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Squeeze out excess water from the gelatin, then stir into the mixture to dissolve. Leave it to cool.
22. Remove the firm cake from the freezer, place it onto a wire rack over a baking sheet then pour on the mirror glaze, making sure it’s evenly coated. Roughly chop the reserved bits of praline and sprinkle that on top, then slice and serve!
(It’s also nice to top the cake with some tempered chocolate curls, but that’s optional)
