Bribing the goddess
Another recipe from Cook's - less successful in looks but dang tasty. The three layers are roughly dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate.
Layer 1 The dark chocolate cake
3/4 stick butter
7 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp espresso powder (I used ground coffee)
2 tbsp chocolate liquor
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated
salt - a pinch
1/3 cup light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 325 F and butter a 9.5" spring pan. Melt chocolate, butter and espresso in a double boiler. Add liquor. Cool for 5 minutes and add egg yolks. Whisk well. In a bowl, beat egg whites and salt together until frothy and add brown sugar, beating it in. Beat at high speed to form stiff peaks and then add slowly to chocolate mixture, folding it in until no white streaks remain.Pour batter into spring form pan and bak for 15-18 minutes until springy. It looks under done.
Layer 2 The Chocolate Mousse
After the cake has cooled for an hour, without removing it from the spring pan, prepare the mousse as follows:
2 Tbsp dutch processed cocoa
5 Tbsp hot water
7 ounces milk chocolate*
1.5 cups very cold heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Melt chocolate in double boiler and let cool as above. Add cream, sugar, and salt to cold mixing bowl with sugar and beat until peaks form. Mix water and cocoa powder and add to chocolate mixture. Fold into whipped cream. Layer over cake in spring pan and chill for at least 15 minutes.
Layer 3 White Chocolate Creme
3/4 tsp clear gelatin
1 tbsp water
6 ounces white chocolate
1.5 cups very cold heavy cream
Melt white chocolate in double boiler, adding a 1/2 cup of cream at simmering to it. remove from heat and add gelatin and water. Allow to cool while beating cream until stiff peaks form. Fold together and whisk until totally blended. Pour on top later of cake. Cool 3 hours.
When we removed the spring form pan, the top layer was so soft it slid off the top. Tasted great anyway.
UPDATE 10/5: After sitting in the frig for the day, the top is much firmer and you can actually cut it (well, with dental floss). So cool for 24 hours instead of 3.
Layer 1 The dark chocolate cake
3/4 stick butter
7 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp espresso powder (I used ground coffee)
2 tbsp chocolate liquor
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated
salt - a pinch
1/3 cup light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 325 F and butter a 9.5" spring pan. Melt chocolate, butter and espresso in a double boiler. Add liquor. Cool for 5 minutes and add egg yolks. Whisk well. In a bowl, beat egg whites and salt together until frothy and add brown sugar, beating it in. Beat at high speed to form stiff peaks and then add slowly to chocolate mixture, folding it in until no white streaks remain.Pour batter into spring form pan and bak for 15-18 minutes until springy. It looks under done.
Layer 2 The Chocolate Mousse
After the cake has cooled for an hour, without removing it from the spring pan, prepare the mousse as follows:
2 Tbsp dutch processed cocoa
5 Tbsp hot water
7 ounces milk chocolate*
1.5 cups very cold heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Melt chocolate in double boiler and let cool as above. Add cream, sugar, and salt to cold mixing bowl with sugar and beat until peaks form. Mix water and cocoa powder and add to chocolate mixture. Fold into whipped cream. Layer over cake in spring pan and chill for at least 15 minutes.
Layer 3 White Chocolate Creme
3/4 tsp clear gelatin
1 tbsp water
6 ounces white chocolate
1.5 cups very cold heavy cream
Melt white chocolate in double boiler, adding a 1/2 cup of cream at simmering to it. remove from heat and add gelatin and water. Allow to cool while beating cream until stiff peaks form. Fold together and whisk until totally blended. Pour on top later of cake. Cool 3 hours.
When we removed the spring form pan, the top layer was so soft it slid off the top. Tasted great anyway.
UPDATE 10/5: After sitting in the frig for the day, the top is much firmer and you can actually cut it (well, with dental floss). So cool for 24 hours instead of 3.
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