How to make a good chocolate cake with rectangular biscuits

If there's one thing almost all kids (and not-so-kids, let's be honest) love... it's chocolate. That sweet, brown delicacy, fit for the gods, which my generation thoroughly enjoyed by stuffing an entire bar between slices of bread (any brand, though the all-time classic was the one from Nestlé) as a snack or just eating it in squares, is one of life's pleasures that is (almost) impossible to resist. :)

And since we're not here to resist anything but to enjoy it, today I'm going to teach you how to prepare a delicious chocolate cake with rectangular biscuits. Not only will you be licking your fingers with delight, but if you have kids like I do, you'll also have something to keep them entertained. My kids love it, so... let's get started!

Ingredients

• Two bars of melting chocolate¹
• One and a half liters of milk
• 30 milliliters of rum (optional)
• 100 grams of sugar
• 8 eggs or 100 grams of cornstarch (to thicken the chocolate)
• Two teaspoons of ground cinnamon (optional)
• Rectangular biscuits²

Preparing the Chocolate

The first thing to prepare for this delicious cake is the chocolate. Heat the one and a half liters of milk in a small or medium-sized pot (or similar container). While it heats up, break the chocolate into pieces as small as possible. Let the kids separate the pieces and place them on a plate while the milk reaches the right temperature.

Once you notice the milk starts to steam slightly without boiling, lower the heat a bit and add the chocolate pieces, stirring them in to melt.

WARNING: If you let the kids add the chocolate pieces to the milk, I recommend doing it before you start heating the milk. Adding them when the milk is about to boil is a risk I don't recommend. They might drop the pieces into the milk (instead of gently adding them), which can cause splashes.

Once the chocolate has melted, add the rum³, stir for about a minute, add the sugar, and keep stirring until it fully dissolves. Add the two teaspoons of cinnamon⁴ and stir a bit more until it integrates with the mixture. Now comes the key step: thickening the chocolate. You can do this in two ways:

Using Egg Yolks

Crack the eight eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Although you'll only need the yolks, don't throw away the whites—they can be used to make meringue or egg white omelets, for example. For this recipe, we'll focus on the yolks. Beat them very gently (we're not making an omelet, so there's no need to aerate the mixture) until smooth and uniform.

Once ready, add them to the chocolate mixture very slowly (in a thin stream) while stirring constantly. It's important to do this to prevent the yolks from setting too quickly, as we don't want chocolate with scrambled egg bits. Instead, the yolks should blend with the chocolate and thicken uniformly as they cook.

Using Cornstarch

In a glass filled one-third with water, dissolve the 100 grams of cornstarch. Once dissolved, just like with the egg yolk method, add it to the chocolate mixture very slowly (in a thin stream) while stirring constantly. This ensures the cornstarch integrates well with the chocolate without forming lumps.

Regardless of the method, once the chocolate is thickened, turn off the heat and stir for one to two minutes more, gradually reducing your stirring speed until you stop completely. At this point, let the chocolate rest for about an hour to make it easier to work with while assembling the cake.

Assembling the Cake

The key is to build the cake in layers, where the biscuits are soaked⁵ in milk. The arrangement is as follows (from top to bottom):

Decoration

Since the top layer of the cake is chocolate (whether thicker or thinner), there are many options for decorating it. Personally, I prefer shredded coconut or chocolate sprinkles (my usual choice). You can also use colored sprinkles or other types of decorations. Everyone has their own taste, so decorate it however you like, and most importantly, enjoy it. :)

Bon appétit!