Chocolate cake with apples and mandarin oranges

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1. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Beat the whole eggs with the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy. Add the sifted flour mixture and oil, then mix thoroughly again.

2. Pour the batter into a baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C (350 °F) for about 30 minutes. Let the cake cool slightly, then split it horizontally into 2 layers, making the top layer thinner than the bottom.

   

3. Peel the apples, chop them finely, and place them in a saucepan. Add the water and powdered sugar, then cook until the water has evaporated. Add the lemon juice at the end.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and blend the apples until smooth. Add the butter, chocolate, and vanilla sugar to the hot apple mixture and stir until melted and dissolved.

5. Crumble the thinner cake layer into the apple mixture, add the mandarin oranges, and mix everything thoroughly. Spread the filling over the bottom cake layer and pour the glaze over it.

   

6. For the glaze, melt the butter with the oil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and let it melt. Spread the glaze evenly over the cake and let it set.

   

Tip: Separate the mandarin oranges into segments and remove the white pith and any seeds, which would make the filling bitter. Fold them gently into the apple mixture so they do not get crushed.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Čokoládový koláč s jablkami, mandarínkami a polevou