Chocolate Intensity

Wow, if the title of this dessert is not enough to tell you to make this then let me assure you that you must make this dessert. Do so now. It is so simple, so rich, so chocolatey, so perfect that you can not afford not to make this. My pictures do not do this dessert justice so I will send you to pictures that will knock the sweet bajeezes out of ya.  This is no ordinary ‘cake’, because there is no flour in this recipe its texture falls closer to that of a cheesecake but more dense.

This is the perfect dessert for any chocolate lover or lover of a damn good dessert. It has a gorgeous presentation without being pretentious, you can dress it up with some berries or white chocolate drizzle or keep it simple and plain (I use this term loosely). This exceeded my expectations (and I had pretty high expectations) and impressed everyone who tried it.  I would describe the experience of eating this cake as nothing short of bringing your tastebuds and tounge orgasmic pleasure.  So rich, so creamy with the perfect balance of sweetness, creaminess and richness. The chocolate ganache was the perfect way to top off this dessert and I would not skip it! 

I thought the amount of coffee called for in the recipe would over power the flavor, but I trusted the recipe and followed it to the letter. I would not change a thing. I think the coffee enhanced the chocolate flavor without overpowering it, infact, no one who ate a piece of this perfection noticed any coffee flavor at all.  Of course they wouldn’t have been able to tell me if they had because their eyes were rolling back in their heads while their tounges licked every last chocolate morsel off of their spoons. I ate a peice (a little goes a long way) at room temperature as well as chilled and prefer it cold from the fridge!

I rate this recipe a 10
 
Chocolate Intensity
Trish Boyle’s The Cake Book

Makes one 9-inch cake

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 62% cocoa), finely chopped
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brewed coffee
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment round and butter the parchment. (If you’re using a pan with a removable bottom like a springform, make sure to wrap the pan with 2 or 3 layers of foil.)

Place chopped chocolate in a large bowl.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, stir butter, sugar and coffee until the butter is melted and mixture is boiling. Pour the hot mixture over your chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute then gently stir until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs vigorously until blended. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. Slowly add about 3/4 cup hot chocolate mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly. (Tempering the eggs with a little bit of the hot chocolate mixture will prevent “scrambled eggs” when combining the two mixtures.) Add the egg mixture to the hot chocolate mixture and whisk to combine well.

Strain the batter through a sieve (to catch any cooked egg bits) and then pour batter into prepared pan. Set cake pan in a large roasting pan and fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the center is shiny and set but still a bit jiggly. Transfer cake pan to a cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes.

Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a cardboard round on top of the pan and invert the cake onto it. Remove pan and carefully remove the parchment paper. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before glazing with chocolate glaze.
*I chilled overnight before glazing and then chilled for 2 hours more before serving. It was PERFECT!

Bittersweet Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove pan from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute then gently stir until chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth. Gently stir in the vanilla. Transfer glaze to a small bowl and cover the surface of the glaze with plastic wrap and let cool for 5 minutes at room temperature before using.

To glaze the cake:

Place the chilled cake, still on the cake round, on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Slowly pour the hot glaze onto the center of the cake. Smooth the glaze over the top and sides, letting the excess drip onto the baking sheet.

Scrape the extra glaze from the baking sheet and put it in a small ziploc bag. Seal the bag and cut a tiny hole in one of the bottom corners. Gently squeeze the bag over the top of the cake to drizzle the glaze in a decorative pattern. Refrigerate the cake at least one hour before serving.

*I chilled the cake overnight and LOVED the texture and flavor of it. I actually prefer to eat it straight from the fridge, nice and chilled! The texture is smooth, rich and creamy and holds up well while eating.