Mahler Würfel

Whilst visiting Austria a few years ago, I was introduced to a confection called Bach Würfel, named after the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The word Würfel translates to “cube” in English. Though I adore Bach’s music, Gustav Mahler is the composer dearest to my heart, so I have created a Mahler Würfel. Unlike Bach Würfel, these mouth-watering morsels contain a layer of jam. Mahler loved jam and was known to have a different flavour every morning of the week. This recipe is featured in my cookbook Aria Ready for Dessert?.

Let’s get making Mahler Würfel…

Ingredients

Marzipan
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 to 4 teaspoons water
Hazelnut Ganache
1/3 cup hazelnuts (toasted & ground)
3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon finely ground coffee
3 ounces dark chocolate (chopped)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons Amaretto
Jam Layer
4 teaspoons apricot jam
Chocolate Coating
8 ounces dark chocolate (chopped)
1 tablespoon hazelnuts (toasted & ground) for topping

Directions

Marzipan – In a bowl, combine 1 cup of almond flour and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract and 3 to 4 teaspoons of water. Using your hand, mix until it just holds together. If you overwork it, more oils will come out of the almonds and this can ruin the texture. Wrap in plastic and set aside.
Hazelnut Ganache – In a bowl, combine 1/3 cup of hazelnuts (toasted & ground), 3/4 teaspoon of granulated sugar and 3/4 teaspoon of finely ground coffee and set aside. Next, melt together 3 ounces of dark chocolate (chopped) and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. To this, add 2 tablespoons of whipping cream and gently whisk to combine. To this mixture, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 3 teaspoons of Amaretto and whisk until smooth. Combine the hazelnut mixture with the chocolate mixture and set aside.
Divide the marzipan into two pieces and roll out each piece to approximately 4 x 6 inches. It is easiest to roll the marzipan out between two pieces of parchment paper. If you don’t have parchement paper, dust countertop and rolling pin with powdered sugar before rolling. Place the pieces of marzipan on a tray lined with parchment paper. Spread 2 teaspoons of apricot jam on each piece of marzipan. Next, spread the hazelnut ganache evenly over one of the pieces of marzipan. Place the second piece of marzipan on top of the ganache, jam side down. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until the center has firmed up.
Using a chef’s knife, cut off any uneven edges and then divide the block into approximately 15 squares, depending on what size chocolates you want. After the squares are cut, put them back on the parchment-lined tray and place them in the refrigerator to keep cool.
In a bowl, melt 8 ounces of dark chocolate. Remove the squares from the refrigerator and drop one at a time into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to lift the coated square out of the chocolate, gently tapping the fork on the side of the bowl until the excess chocolate has dripped off. Carefully slide the coated squares back onto the parchment paper-lined tray. If the bowl of melted chocolate seems to thicken up during this process, reheat the chocolate a little to loosen it up. When all the cubes are coated, sprinkle ground hazelnuts on top if desired – it takes the fancy level up a notch! Refrigerate to set. They are delicious right out of the refrigerator or brought to room temperature an hour before serving.