MAKES ONE 2" X 7" LOAF
The chocolate glaze on this dense tea cake isn't typical in Vienna but is something Branka does for decoration and a little extra flavor.
For the Bread
1 tsp. butter, softened
1 cup flour
4 1⁄4 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3⁄4 cup plus 2 tbsp. blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
1⁄2 cup candied fruit, coarsely chopped
1⁄3 cup raisins, coarsely chopped
1 9-gram packet vanilla sugar
1⁄8 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 eggs, separated
1⁄2 cup plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar
For the Glaze
3 1⁄2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1⁄2 cup sugar
Instructions
For the bread: Preheat oven to 300º. Grease a 5-cup loaf pan with butter, then dust with 2 tbsp. of the flour, tapping out excess, and set aside. Put chocolate, almonds, candied fruit, raisins, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, and remaining flour into a large bowl, mix well, and set aside.
Whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl until thick and pale yellow, then fold into chocolate-flour mixture and set batter aside. Whisk egg whites in a clean medium bowl until stiff but not dry peaks form. Fold one-third of the egg whites at a time into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Tip bread out onto a rack set over a pan and allow to cool completely.
For the glaze: Put chocolate, sugar, and 7 tbsp. water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and glossy, 15-20 minutes. Allow glaze to cool slightly.
Spread one-third of the glaze over top and sides of bread and set aside to let glaze harden slightly, 20-30 minutes. Repeat process 2 more times with remaining glaze. Set bread aside to let glaze harden, about 2 hours. Bread may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
