Chocolate Gâteau Garash is one of the most famous cakes in Bulgaria where this recipe was created. In the last couple of decades, the popularity of this luscious chocolate cake has spread to many parts of Europe and the gateau is highly appreciated for its elegant appearance and decadent taste.

HISTORY OF GATEAU GARASH.

The original recipe for this beautiful chocolate cake was developed by the Austro-Hungarian pâtissier Costa Garash, who in 1885 was employed to manage the hotel and the restaurant of the first Bulgarian Grand hotel Islah Hane in the city of Russe. The grand hotel was located next door to the residence of the Bulgarian Prince Alexander Battenberg. The prince often held high-profile parties and meetings in the Grand Hotel. Costa Garash created his gâteau Garash for one of these official parties. 

In 1900, Costa Garash moved to the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, to manage another high-profile hotel Panah. The hotel had a popular patisserie cafe, where the famous gâteau Garash was a speciality.

The original recipe for the gâteau Garash was first published in Bulgaria in 1935.

HOW TO MAKE GATEAU GARASH?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN MY RECIPE

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Gâteau Garash is not the cheapest cake to make, this recipe requires a lot of eggs, good-quality dark chocolate and walnuts. As the cake has a beautiful and formal appearance, it will be great to make for a special occasion.

There are different versions of Gateau Garash. In some of the cake recipes, the ganache is made with leftover yolks, sugar and dark cocoa powder. That is convenient because after using the egg whites for the cake layers, you will have 10 yolks left behind. However, in my opinion, the ganache tastes so much better when made with double cream and chocolate, as in the original recipe developed by Costa Garash.

Some versions of the gateau recipe call for powdered sugar ( or icing sugar) to be used in the cake instead of granulated sugar. I personally find powdered sugar too sweet and it also contains cornstarch that can make the cake heavy. I would recommend using just normal granulated sugar for baking.

A version of this cake is made with white chocolate glazing. Although the White Garash looks very pretty, the taste is very different to the traditional cake which is made with dark chocolate. I find the white gateau rather sweet.

Traditionally, gâteau Garash is decorated with coarsely ground pistachio, although, green-coloured shredded coconut or coarsely ground walnuts can also be used as a decoration for the cake.

Colourful berries will look beautiful as a topping on the cake. Their strong red colour will contrast beautifully with the dark brown shiny background of the chocolate glazing. You can also arrange beautiful shapes of fine chocolate on the surface of the gateau to make its appearance more interesting and appealing.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

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Step 1: Prepare the meringue CAKE layers

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First, you need to make 5 thin meringue cake layers. To do that, whisk the egg whites with a hand mixer until they form soft peaks. Add sugar, 1 spoon at a time, and whisk continuously until the sugar in the meringue mixture turns glossy. Carefully add small amounts of ground walnuts to the meringue mixture, while stirring the mixture with scraping movements from the bottom of the bowl to the surface with a spatula. That will allow air into the meringue mixture.

Split the meringue mixture into 5 equal parts. Prepare five round pieces of parchment paper for 26 cm cake tins. It is best to use springform baking tins with removable rings. Brush as many springform tins as you have available with oil, then line them with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and pour the meringue mixture into the cake tins lined with greased parchment paper.

Step 2: Bake the cake layers

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Bake the cake layers in preheated oven at 160°C/320°F for 7-8 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the meringue cake layer because they will become brittle. Remove them from the oven while they are still soft and sticky. If you have difficulties separating the meringue from the parchment paper, brush the lining paper with water and use a sharp knife to separate the meringue from the paper.

Step 2: Make ganache For the cake

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Meanwhile, start preparing the ganache. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, or over a water bath on your hob. Leave the chocolate to cool down for 5 minutes.

Using a mixer at a low speed, whisk the double cream and the sugar until the sugar is dissolved. You can check if the sugar is dissolved by rubbing a small amount of the mixture between your fingers. If the mixture is smooth and you do not feel sugar grains on your fingertips, you can start adding the melted chocolate. Slowly pour small amounts of melted chocolate into the cream mixture, and continue whisking until all ingredients are well combined. Leave the bowl with the ganache aside to cool down for 5 minutes, then split it into 5 equal parts.

Step 3: Assemble Gâteau GARASH

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Place the first meringue cake layer on a large plate, or you can use the base of your springform cake tin and spread evenly one part of the ganache over the meringue layer with the help of a cake knife.

Place the second meringue layer over the ganache layer, and spread the ganache over it. Alternate layers of meringue and ganache until you have assembled the cake.

Spread a thin layer of ganache evenly on top of the cake and on its sides.

Place the assembled cake in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Step 4: Make chocolate glazing & glaze the cake

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To prepare the chocolate glazing, melt dark chocolate in the microwave or over a water bath. Add olive oil to the melted chocolate to make the glazing shiny and thinner, and stir well to combine into a smooth mixture. Leave the glazing mixture to cool for a few minutes.

Transfer the cake to a cooling grid, then pour the glaze into the middle of the cake. Tilt the cake in different directions for the chocolate glazing to slide and cover all sides of the cake evenly.

Do the glazing over a large piece of parchment paper because the chocolate will be dripping down from the cake.

Place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes for the glazing to become solid.

Step 5: Decorate Gâteau GARASH

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Traditionally, gâteau Garash is decorated with ground pistachio nuts or shredded coconut.

To decorate the cake with pistachio nuts, place the coarsely ground pistachio nuts in a small freezer bag and cut one of the bag’s bottom corners. Sprinkle the ground nuts in an even line along the top edge of the cake, as shown in the image above.

🍲 HOW TO SERVE decadent Chocolate Gâteau?

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Recently I read an article from a professional baker with advice not to keep cakes in the fridge. The first time I made the gâteau, I left it at room temperature. Although it was only around 22 degrees in the room, the cake started to melt. It was falling apart and was very difficult to cut. Therefore, I recommend keeping the cake in a cool place, even in the fridge, if the weather is hot.

Use a sharp knife to cut the cake. To prevent the glazing from cracking, place the knife in hot water for 5-6 minutes, wipe it dry and then slice the cake.

Serve small slices of this beautiful gâteau because the cake is too rich.

Enjoy! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳