Recipe

Cuban Bombón Cake

Name: Cuban Bombón Cake
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 4 eggs; 1 cup of wheat flour; 1 cup of sugar; 1 teaspoon of baking powder or baking soda; 1 pinch of salt; ½ cup of milk; 4 tablespoons of pure cocoa powder; Vanilla extract; Butter and flour, to grease the molds; 150 g of butter; 200 g of powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons of milk; 40 g of pure cocoa powder; 1 bar (200 g) of dark chocolate for melting

Confectionery-style Cuban bombón cake: two sponge cakes, buttercream with cocoa, and a hard, shiny dark chocolate coating.

CiberCubaApril 15, 2019

CiberCuba

Preparation55 min
Cooking35 min
Total time1 h 30 min
Servings1 cake (8 servings)
DifficultyMedium

Bombón cake is one of Cuba's most famous desserts. It was a very common gift on Mother's Day and was sold in practically all confectioneries until the 80s. Later it began to disappear, and today there are many people who don't even remember it.

It is not easy to find a Cuban bombón cake recipe that meets expectations, so this one was created from childhood memories. Its great secret is the coating: it must be solid, made of melted dark chocolate, which forms that thin film when cooled that Cubans call 'chocolate Peter'. The most pleasant memory was lifting the cover and stealing pieces in secret; the most overwhelming, seeing mom's face upon discovering the naked and crumbly cake.

Method

For the batter

Grease the molds with butter, dust them with flour and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the whites to stiff peaks and start adding the sugar little by little, without stopping beating, until a meringue forms.
Add the yolks and the vanilla extract and continue beating until they are incorporated.
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Combine in a bowl the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder or baking soda and salt) and sift them to avoid lumps.
Incorporate them little by little into the meringue with a stiff spatula, using folding movements. The batter will become dense.
Add the milk and continue mixing with folding movements until you achieve a smooth batter.
Divide the batter into two equal parts. To the one that will be the chocolate sponge cake, add 4 tablespoons of cocoa and incorporate it with folding movements.
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Pour the batter into the molds and bake between 25 and 30 minutes, until inserting a skewer in the center comes out dry.
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Remove the sponge cakes from the oven and let them cool.

For the filling

Beat the butter at room temperature with the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract until you obtain a thick cream.
Add the cocoa and continue beating until it is perfectly incorporated.
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Assembly

Level the sponge cakes by carefully cutting off any unevenness. Use a bread knife, which gives a more even cut and does not break the cake.
Place the first sponge cake on a flat plate, add 3 large tablespoons of cream and distribute it well.
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Place the second sponge cake on top and cover the entire cake with the cream, as evenly as possible, so that later the chocolate will run well and cover it entirely.
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Put the cake in the freezer for approximately half an hour.
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For the coating

Break the chocolate bar into small pieces and melt them in a double boiler.
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When you see it has melted, stir well with a spatula.
Take the cake out of the freezer and place it on a metal rack, with a tray underneath and, if possible, parchment paper.
Pour the melted chocolate carefully over the cold cake and move it slightly so that it covers everything. If you see it is cooling, spread it quickly with a long spatula or with the back (not the edge) of a bread knife.
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Keep the cake in the refrigerator, without freezing it, until the coating becomes hard and shiny.
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Tips and variations

Molds: you need two molds of equal size, or make the sponge cakes in two batches. Here, 15 cm diameter removable molds were used.

Sponge cakes to your liking: you can make both chocolate, one plain and one chocolate, or both plain. If you make the entire batter with chocolate, use 8 tablespoons of cocoa instead of 4.

Pure cocoa, always: avoid powdered chocolates meant for drinking with milk, as they can affect the quality of the batter and prevent it from rising properly.

The oven: every oven has its characteristics, so watch the doneness point so the sponge cake is neither raw nor overbaked.

The coating: a ganache with cream does not work; it must be melted dark chocolate to remain hard and shiny. Do not melt it in the microwave, as it is easier to burn: chocolate is delicate, it needs heat, but not too much. If it doesn't turn out well the first time, no problem: let it cool and try again.

Storage: keep the cake in the refrigerator, but do not freeze it. Chocolate needs cold, but not too much.

You do not need a professional kitchen to make this dessert, although the coating is quite a challenge. If it does not look perfect aesthetically, the flavor will be phenomenal.