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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-by-1½-inches round cake pans and then line them with circles of wax paper. Butter the paper circles, sprinkle them with flour and shake off the excess.
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2. In the top of a double boiler, heat the chocolate until it melts, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. In a small mixing bowl, break up the egg yolks with a fork, then beat in the chocolate, melted butter and vanilla extract.
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3. With a wire whisk or a rotary or electric beater, beat the egg whites and pinch of salt until they foam, then add the sugar, 1tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat until the whites form stiff, unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted from the bowl.
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4. Mix about 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk-chocolate mixture, then reverse the process and pour the chocolate over the remaining egg whites. Sprinkle the flour over the top.
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5. With a rubber spatula, using an over-and-under cutting motion instead of a mixing motion, fold the whites and the chocolate mixture together until no trace of the whites remains. Do not overfold.
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6. Pour the batter into the 2 lined pans, dividing it evenly between them. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the layers are puffed and dry and a toothpick stuck in the center of a layer comes out clean.
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7. Remove the pans from the oven and loosen the sides of the layers by running a sharp knife around them. Turn them out on a cake rack and remove the wax paper. Let the layers cool while you prepare the glaze.
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THE GLAZE:
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1. In a small heavy saucepan, combine the chocolate, cream, sugar and corn syrup. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook on low heat until the chocolate and sugar are melted, then raise the heat to medium and cook without stirring for about 5 minutes, or until a little of the mixture dropped into a glass of cold water forms a soft ball.
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2. In a small mixing bowl beat the egg lightly, then stir 3 tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into it. Pour this into the remaining chocolate in the saucepan and stir it briskly.
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3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the glaze coats the spoon heavily. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla. Cool the glaze to room temperature.
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4. When the cake layers have completely cooled, spread one of them with apricot jam and put the other layer on top. Set the rack in a jelly-roll pan and, holding the saucepan about 2 inches away from the cake, pour the glaze over it evenly. Smooth the glaze with a metal spatula.
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5. Let the cake stand until the glaze stops dripping, then, using two metal spatulas, transfer it to a plate and refrigerate it for 3 hours to harden the glaze. Remove it from the refrigerator ½ hour before serving.
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