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1
Preheat the oven to 325F.
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2
Butter an 8-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
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3
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
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4
Beat the butter with 1/4 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
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5
Add the egg yolks, two at a time, and then the rum, then the walnuts, beating well each time.
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6
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and the rest of the sugaruntil they are stiff and shiny.
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7
Add the melted chocolate to the butter mixture and combine well.
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8
Fold in the egg whites and combine well, until there are no more white streaks.
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9
Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs.
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10
Cool the cake and then chill.
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11
Whip 2-1/2 cups of ganache until light and fluffy.
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12
Smooth a little of the ganache on top of the chilled cake.
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13
Sprinkle crushed toffee on top of the cake, and then cover the whole thing, top and sides, with ganache and chill for two hours.
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14
Serve the cake at room temperature.
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15
Cream Ganache: Bring the cream to a boil in a 6-quart pot.
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16
When the cream boils, remove it from the heat immediately and add all the chocolate at once.
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17
Stir with a wire whisk until the chocolate is all melted.
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18
Pour into a bowl, allow to cool at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and chill.
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19
You can keep in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for several months.
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20
Toffee: Preheat the oven to 175F.
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21
Put nuts on a cookie sheet andplace in the oven to keep warm.
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22
Coat another cookie tray with vegetable oil.
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23
Put the sugar, water, corn syrup, and vanilla in a heavy saucepan and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
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24
Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water so that there is no sugar clinging to the sides of the pan.
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25
Cook over high heat until it reaches a boil, continuing to wash down with water.
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26
After it has boiled for one minute, add the butter, stirring often.
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27
It is done when it registers 290F on a candy thermometer and it is the color of a brown paper bag.
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28
Remove from heat and stir in the walnuts.
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29
Pour the mixture onto the oiled sheet and let it cool completely.
