CAKE!

Still waiting on the library. On the verge of giving up.

Made a cake today that Mum found in a cookbook borrowed from the same library. The thing is an ingredient hog - an entire pound of butter, an entire pound of chocolate, a dozen eggs, so on and so forth. And that's just the cake part. The frosting uses another half-pound of chocolate.

I thought it would suck. I thought being a gluten-free cake, it would flop and fall apart.

Instead, it came out almost with the texture of a cheesecake. It's rich as all hell. Neither I nor Mom could eat more than one small piece each because while it was awesome, it was a (welcome) assault on the senses.

In other words, this one's going in the book, no question.

I found a copy online, so here you are. The ganache doesn't require rum at all; I left it out and found the cake to be fine without it.

Chocolate Delirium
makes 12 to 16 servings

Butter for greasing the pan
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
1 pound bittersweet chocolate (or a combination of 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate and 8 ounces semisweet), chopped into small pieces
6 large eggs, at room temperature (when you accidentally drop white in your yolk, save yourself the trouble of throwing the egg out by tossing it with these)
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream
chilled Chocolate Ganache
Whipped Cream or ice cream of your choice, for serving

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Lightly grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment circle or pan insert. Melt the butter with the sugar and coffee in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.

Add the chopped chocolate to the butter mixture and stir. Turn the heat off, cover, and let sit until the chocolate has melted, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolks in a small mixing bowl. Pour this mixture in a stream into the chocolate mixture while stirring vigorously with the whisk until blended. Whip the cream in a small mixing bowl with an electric mixer until firm peaks form, about 40 seconds. Stir the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the center is set but still slightly spongy in texture and a tester inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, about 1 ½ hours.

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for several hours. Remove the side of the pan and flip the cake onto the rack. Remove the pan bottom and the paper. Place a second rack over a large piece of aluminum foil. Flip the cake right side up onto the rack.

Chocolate Ganache

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)

Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum if desired.
Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake. Start at the center of the cake and work outward. For a fluffy frosting or chocolate filling, allow it to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.


Pour the Chocolate Ganache over the top of the cake and use a frosting spatula to spread it evenly over the top so that it drips down the sides. Then use the spatula to lightly spread it around the sides of the cake. When the glaze sets, carefully lift the cake off the rack with a metal spatula and place it on a cake plate.

Serve with Whipped Cream or the ice cream of your choice.

So, that's the whole thing. Like I said before, it is excessively rich and thick. If I had made it for myself alone, I would have frozen most of it and eaten it one little piece at a time.

Let me know how it turns out for you if you do make it. Besides separating the eggs, I found it to be fairly easy to make, and I was pleased to finally find a cake recipe that I can eat without worrying about my GF issues.

Ta,
Bec