Blackcurrant cake recipe that's daring, delicious, and delightful

I'll tell you something with one hundred percent honesty: when I first tried this recipe, I wasn't sure whether the result would be satisfactory. When you see the ingredients, you might understand what I meant. Blackcurrant jam and caramel spread? And on top of that, rum, eggnog, and cocoa? Someone had to be very brave. And you know what? It paid off.

I received the recipe for this cake from a friend who has been dedicating all his free time to home baking lately. After a moment of hesitation, I analyzed the recipe once more, read the instructions carefully, and made a firm decision: This might work, so let's try it! Today, I have no regrets, and I guarantee that you won't either.

Ingredients:       

• 4 eggs
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons rum
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice + 3 tablespoons sugar
• 7 fluid ounces water
• blackcurrant jam (one jar is enough)
• 1 blackcurrant jelly
• 1 can caramel spread
• 5 ounces butter
• 5 tablespoons eggnog
• 17 fluid ounces 30% cream
• 4 tablespoons gelatin
• additionally: ladyfingers for decoration

Preparation:

1. Break the eggs, separating the whites and yolks. Beat the whites with a pinch of salt into stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar and yolks, continuing to mix all the time.
2. Add cocoa powder, wheat flour, potato starch, and baking powder to the wet mixture. Mix until you have a smooth batter, and transfer it to a greased baking pan.
3. Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F and then let it cool.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the punch from water, rum, sugar, and lemon juice. Soak the cooled cake with the punch. Remember, the cake and the punch should not be hot now.
5. Cream the butter until fluffy, then mix with the caramel spread and eggnog. Spread this prepared cream over the cake.
6. Heat the blackcurrant jam to a saucepan, and add the jelly. Once they combine (you need to stir intensively), let it cool and pour over the top of the cake.
7. Whip the cream with gelatin. You can add a bit more eggnog to this mixture. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the dessert.
8. The blackcurrant cake tastes best with a crunchy topping. Instead of making a crumble, I crush several ladyfingers and sprinkle them on top of the cake. Place the entire dessert in the fridge — the cake tastes best when cold. After a few hours, everything is ready.