mariadnoca
Moderator
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 14:00:44 GMT
From: Marilyn in FL
Hold onto your seat, Bertha, it's a big one a comin'...Chocolate Decadence Cake: 2 & 1/2 POUNDS of chocolate...ohhh, ya.
CHOCOLATE DECADENCE
first things first: I pulled this off the Internet and into Word to remove the photos,etc. Now I don't know WHO created it...I think it may be the chef from Le Cirque...but can't find it again. My apologies....anyone who can create a cake that uses 39 oz of chocolate is a god in my book and deserves recognition.
This cake is INTENSIVELY chocolately and the ultimate gift for those who LIKE, nay, LOVE bittersweet chocolate. It's definitely a show-stopper in both looks and elegance of taste. For the rest of us mickey mouse milk-chocolateers, well, we'll bow and smile through the accolades and keep a Snicker's bar hidden under the table. It will also blow every brain cell left standing after preparing and taste-testing bourbon balls,
which HAD to be tested JUST to make sure they were perphek...(umm) purfeqe purrfekk (sheeshhhh)... good. But what a way to go.
18 oz (2 packages (8 oz. each) plus 2 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate squares, finely chopped
10 large eggs, separated
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (no
substitutes), softened
3/4 cup almond flour or toasted almond flour
(*) or 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup dark rum (optional)
3/4 cup sugar
Truffle Ganache (filling/frosting)
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
21 oz (2 packages (8 oz. each) plus 5 ounces)
bittersweet or semisweet chocolate squares,
finely chopped
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or orange-flavored
liqueur, or grated peel of 1 orange
Fresh raspberries and mint sprigs, for garnish
1. Heat oven to 325 (degrees) F. Grease a 15 1/2x10 1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan with vegetable shortening or butter. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Make cake: Place chocolate in medium microwave-proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, turning back one corner to vent. Microwave on High 1 ½ minutes; stir and microwave 30 to 45 seconds more, until chocolate is melted and completely smooth. Keep chocolate covered so it remains warm.
3. Beat egg yolks, butter, almond flour (if using whole blanched almonds, process nuts with 2 tablespoons of the sugar in food processor until finely ground) and corn syrup in large mixer bowl on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in rum, if desired.
4. Beat egg whites in a clean mixer bowl with clean beaters on medium speed, until foamy.
Beat in sugar (or remaining 10 tablespoons sugar, if using whole blanched almonds) 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase speed to medium-high and beat to stiff peaks. Gently fold whites into almond mixture with a rubber spatula, until almost combined. Gently fold in the warm chocolate, until well combined. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake cake 30 to 35 minutes, until top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely on wire rack.
5. Make Truffle Ganache: Line the bottom of another 15 1/2x10 1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Heat heavy cream in medium saucepan over medium heat, until bubbles begin to form around edge of pan. Place chocolate in medium bowl and pour half of the hot cream over chocolate. Whisk chocolate slowly until smooth. Gradually add remaining hot cream, whisking until chocolate is completely smooth. Stir in orange-flavored liqueur, if desired, or
orange peel. Pour ganache into prepared pan. Let stand at room temperature until ganache is cool and spreadable (the consistency of icing), about 45 to 60 minutes. Makes about 3 3/4 cups.
6. Carefully invert cake onto a cutting board lined with parchment or waxed paper. Peel off parchment from bottom of cake. Trim 1/4-inch from edges of cake. Cut cake crosswise into three 5x10-inch pieces. With long, fiat spatula, lift one piece onto a flat serving platter. Spread 3/4 cup of ganache over top. Repeat layering two more times. Frost sides with 1/2 cup frosting, keeping sides and top as smooth as possible. Refrigerate cake until ganache becomes firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Fill a large pastry bag fitted with #2 round tip with the remaining 1 cup ganache. Decoratively pipe ganache along top and bottom edge of cake (or use the tines of a fork to draw lines along the cake).
(Can be made ahead. Cover and refrigerate cake up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before sewing.) Garnish cake with raspberries and mint sprigs, if desired. Makes twenty 1/2-inch-thick slices.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FOR CHILDREN ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE READ BY ANY PERSON OVER THE AGE OF 5 WHO HAS THIGHS:
PER SLICE: 510 calories, 39 g total fat, 20 g saturated fat, 154 mg cholesterol, 44 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 69 mg calcium, 2 g fiber
(*) ALMOND FLOUR IS AVAILABLE FROM NEW YORK CAKE CENTER, 800-942-2.539. TOASTED ALMOND FLOUR CAN BE BOUGHT FROM KING ARTHUR FLOUR, 802-649-3881.
Marilyn's notes:
Used Callebaut bittersweet.
Used 2 TBL of rum as I wasn't sure how it would taste.
I didn't put any liquor in the icing.
I did add another ganache layer of milk chocolate: 8 oz milk chocolate with 2/3 C heavy cream.
To decorate: I cut a piece of heavy cardboard the exact width of the cake. Then I poured a thin layer of icing over all sides. Let it harden slightly in the fridge, then put a really thick layer of ganache on the top (1") thick that I had whipped. Then another poured thin layer. I still had leftover icing so I shaped a dozen little truffle balls and rolled them in cocoa/powdered sugar mixture. Got some fake grape leaves and the sweet little curly-que vines and stuck them on the cake, then piled up the truffle faux grape leaves into a grape-ish looking mound. I even surprised myself at how good it looked.
Enjoy.
Alert us of bad posts.
Responses
1. Hurt me!!! I *must* make this cake
) Marilyn, you're a kick! Happy
holidays to you. n/t (Pat/No.Cal. off to buy chocolate smileys/wink.gif
1. No . . .hurt *ME*! What a way to go, though. I'm definately making this!!
Thanks, Marilyn! nt (emary)
2. God bless search engines....the creator of this recipe is Jacques Torres at
Le Cirque. COMN for original article.NT (Mar in FL)
3. The hat I don t have goes out to you! (more) (SallyBR)
1. Sally, read my reduced steps inside.... (Mar in FL)
1. Still.... (SallyBR)
1. sweetie, you're bi-lingual. By definition, that makes you a bazillion
times smarter than a block of cacao butter. This (Mar in FL)
From: Marilyn in FL
Hold onto your seat, Bertha, it's a big one a comin'...Chocolate Decadence Cake: 2 & 1/2 POUNDS of chocolate...ohhh, ya.
CHOCOLATE DECADENCE
first things first: I pulled this off the Internet and into Word to remove the photos,etc. Now I don't know WHO created it...I think it may be the chef from Le Cirque...but can't find it again. My apologies....anyone who can create a cake that uses 39 oz of chocolate is a god in my book and deserves recognition.
This cake is INTENSIVELY chocolately and the ultimate gift for those who LIKE, nay, LOVE bittersweet chocolate. It's definitely a show-stopper in both looks and elegance of taste. For the rest of us mickey mouse milk-chocolateers, well, we'll bow and smile through the accolades and keep a Snicker's bar hidden under the table. It will also blow every brain cell left standing after preparing and taste-testing bourbon balls,
which HAD to be tested JUST to make sure they were perphek...(umm) purfeqe purrfekk (sheeshhhh)... good. But what a way to go.
18 oz (2 packages (8 oz. each) plus 2 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate squares, finely chopped
10 large eggs, separated
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (no
substitutes), softened
3/4 cup almond flour or toasted almond flour
(*) or 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup dark rum (optional)
3/4 cup sugar
Truffle Ganache (filling/frosting)
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
21 oz (2 packages (8 oz. each) plus 5 ounces)
bittersweet or semisweet chocolate squares,
finely chopped
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or orange-flavored
liqueur, or grated peel of 1 orange
Fresh raspberries and mint sprigs, for garnish
1. Heat oven to 325 (degrees) F. Grease a 15 1/2x10 1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan with vegetable shortening or butter. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Make cake: Place chocolate in medium microwave-proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, turning back one corner to vent. Microwave on High 1 ½ minutes; stir and microwave 30 to 45 seconds more, until chocolate is melted and completely smooth. Keep chocolate covered so it remains warm.
3. Beat egg yolks, butter, almond flour (if using whole blanched almonds, process nuts with 2 tablespoons of the sugar in food processor until finely ground) and corn syrup in large mixer bowl on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in rum, if desired.
4. Beat egg whites in a clean mixer bowl with clean beaters on medium speed, until foamy.
Beat in sugar (or remaining 10 tablespoons sugar, if using whole blanched almonds) 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase speed to medium-high and beat to stiff peaks. Gently fold whites into almond mixture with a rubber spatula, until almost combined. Gently fold in the warm chocolate, until well combined. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake cake 30 to 35 minutes, until top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely on wire rack.
5. Make Truffle Ganache: Line the bottom of another 15 1/2x10 1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Heat heavy cream in medium saucepan over medium heat, until bubbles begin to form around edge of pan. Place chocolate in medium bowl and pour half of the hot cream over chocolate. Whisk chocolate slowly until smooth. Gradually add remaining hot cream, whisking until chocolate is completely smooth. Stir in orange-flavored liqueur, if desired, or
orange peel. Pour ganache into prepared pan. Let stand at room temperature until ganache is cool and spreadable (the consistency of icing), about 45 to 60 minutes. Makes about 3 3/4 cups.
6. Carefully invert cake onto a cutting board lined with parchment or waxed paper. Peel off parchment from bottom of cake. Trim 1/4-inch from edges of cake. Cut cake crosswise into three 5x10-inch pieces. With long, fiat spatula, lift one piece onto a flat serving platter. Spread 3/4 cup of ganache over top. Repeat layering two more times. Frost sides with 1/2 cup frosting, keeping sides and top as smooth as possible. Refrigerate cake until ganache becomes firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Fill a large pastry bag fitted with #2 round tip with the remaining 1 cup ganache. Decoratively pipe ganache along top and bottom edge of cake (or use the tines of a fork to draw lines along the cake).
(Can be made ahead. Cover and refrigerate cake up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before sewing.) Garnish cake with raspberries and mint sprigs, if desired. Makes twenty 1/2-inch-thick slices.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FOR CHILDREN ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE READ BY ANY PERSON OVER THE AGE OF 5 WHO HAS THIGHS:
PER SLICE: 510 calories, 39 g total fat, 20 g saturated fat, 154 mg cholesterol, 44 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 69 mg calcium, 2 g fiber
(*) ALMOND FLOUR IS AVAILABLE FROM NEW YORK CAKE CENTER, 800-942-2.539. TOASTED ALMOND FLOUR CAN BE BOUGHT FROM KING ARTHUR FLOUR, 802-649-3881.
Marilyn's notes:
Used Callebaut bittersweet.
Used 2 TBL of rum as I wasn't sure how it would taste.
I didn't put any liquor in the icing.
I did add another ganache layer of milk chocolate: 8 oz milk chocolate with 2/3 C heavy cream.
To decorate: I cut a piece of heavy cardboard the exact width of the cake. Then I poured a thin layer of icing over all sides. Let it harden slightly in the fridge, then put a really thick layer of ganache on the top (1") thick that I had whipped. Then another poured thin layer. I still had leftover icing so I shaped a dozen little truffle balls and rolled them in cocoa/powdered sugar mixture. Got some fake grape leaves and the sweet little curly-que vines and stuck them on the cake, then piled up the truffle faux grape leaves into a grape-ish looking mound. I even surprised myself at how good it looked.
Enjoy.
Alert us of bad posts.
Responses
1. Hurt me!!! I *must* make this cake
) Marilyn, you're a kick! Happyholidays to you. n/t (Pat/No.Cal. off to buy chocolate smileys/wink.gif
1. No . . .hurt *ME*! What a way to go, though. I'm definately making this!!
Thanks, Marilyn! nt (emary)
2. God bless search engines....the creator of this recipe is Jacques Torres at
Le Cirque. COMN for original article.NT (Mar in FL)
3. The hat I don t have goes out to you! (more) (SallyBR)
1. Sally, read my reduced steps inside.... (Mar in FL)
1. Still.... (SallyBR)
1. sweetie, you're bi-lingual. By definition, that makes you a bazillion
times smarter than a block of cacao butter. This (Mar in FL)