No doubt about it: chocolate rules. Celebrating this happy fact is Marcel Desaulniers's Death by Chocolate Cakes, another installment in his bestselling Death by Chocolate series. These books bring chocolate sweets to, well, heart-stopping heights. Cake, which contains 50 or so recipes for goodies such as Chocolate Heart of Darkness Cakes (dense chocolate cupcakes with a molten chocolate-truffle center) and Excessively Expressive Espresso Fantasy (chocolate ganache-filled chocolate espresso
No hyperbole is needed for this confection, but it may need an explanation. A few years ago, I was champing at the bit (not the chocolate one) to appear on an extremely popular daytime talk show. The host, known for her outrageous antics, was just the kind of person to get turned on by excessive chocolate desserts. I knew, however, that it's the producer who gets you air time. So I confabulated with pastry chef Kelly Bailey, who devised this sybaritic showcase for chocolate and espresso. The cake was overnighted to the producer in New York, and the "fix" worked: an invitation for a coveted spot on the program was secured. Perhaps you saw the show? It was the one where the host drank warm ganache straight from the mixing bowl. Now that's excessive!
This cake may be prepared over 3 days.
DAY 1: Bake the Chocolate Espresso Cake layers; once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
DAY 2: Prepare the Quintessential Chocolate Ganache and make the Espresso Mousse. Spread the cake layers with mousse and ganache as directed in the recipe. Refrigerate the cake in a large, tightly sealed plastic container.
DAY 3: Prepare the almond-espresso bean combination, and cover the sides of the cake with the mixture. Decorate with mousse stars and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Slice and serve as directed in the recipe.
Serves: 12
CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO CAKE
5 ounces unsalted butter cut into l/2.ounce pieces; plus 1 tablespoon {melted)
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped and melted
THE EXPRESSION
1/4 cup espresso beans
3/4 cups sliced almonds, toasted and crushed with your hands
12 chocolate-covered espresso beans*
Make the Chocolate Espresso Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat the insides of four 9×1 1/2-inch nonstick cake pans with some of the 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper (or wax paper), then lightly coat the paper with more melted butter. Set aside.
In a sifter combine 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sift onto a large piece of parchment paper (or wax paper) and set aside until needed.
Melt 6 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate, 5 ounces butter, and 3 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate in the top half of a double boiler, or in a microwave oven, and stir until smooth.
Place 1 1/2 cups sugar, 5 eggs, and 1/4 cup espresso powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until thick. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix on medium to combine, about 20 seconds. Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the sifted dry ingredients; mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup sour cream and 2 tablespoons vanilla extract and mix on low to combine, about 15 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Immediately divide the cake batter into the prepared pans (about 1 2/3 cups of batter in each pan), spreading it evenly. Bake on the top and center racks in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean, about 22 minutes. (Rotate the pans from top to center halfway through the baking time.) Remove the cake layers from the oven and cool in the pans for 15 minutes at room temperature. Invert the cake layers onto cake circles (or onto cake plates). Carefully peel the paper away from the bottoms of the layers. Refrigerate the cake layers until needed.
Prepare the Quintessential Chocolate Ganache
Place 12 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate and 4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate in a large bowl.
Heat 2 cups heavy cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil. Pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate. Set aside for 5 minutes; then stir with a whisk until smooth.
Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the ganache to a baking sheet with sides, spreading it evenly. Set aside at room temperature the remaining ganache and the ganache on the baking sheet until needed.
Make the Espresso Mousse
Place 2 cups heavy cream, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup instant espresso powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whisk on medium-high for 2 minutes until firm, but not stiff, peaks form. Add 1 1/2 cups of the whipped cream to 4 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate, and use a rubber spatula to fold them together until thoroughly combined. Add the combined whipped cream and chocolate to the remaining whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold them together until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Begln Assembling the Cake
Remove the cake layers from the refrigerator. Use a cake spatula to spread about 1 1/2 cups of Espresso Mousse evenly and smoothly over the top and to the edges of each of 2 of the inverted cake layers. Transfer the 1 1/2 cups of ganache from the baking sheet to the top of another inverted cake layer, and use a cake spatula to spread the ganache evenly over the top and to the edges. Refrigerate the remaining amount of mousse (about 1 cup) until needed to complete the assembly of the cake. Use a utility turner to remove the ganache-coated cake layer from the cake circle; then stack that cake layer onto one of the mousse-coated layers. Top with the other mousse-coated layer. Place the remaining inverted cake layer onto the top of the preceding mousse layer and gently press it into place. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour, until the mousse layers have firmed, before completing the assembly.
Make the Expression and Complete the Cake Assembly
Place 1/4 cup espresso beans in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse the espresso beans for 45 seconds until coarsely chopped. Combine the almonds and espresso beans on a baking sheet with sides. Set aside.
Transfer the remaining ganache to the top of the cake. Use a cake spatula to spread a smooth coating of ganache over the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes. Use a utility turner to transfer the cake onto a clean cardboard cake circle.
Press the chopped almond and espresso bean mixture into the sides of the cake, coating it evenly. (Do this over the baking sheet to prevent a mess.) Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip with the remaining cup of mousse. Pipe a circle of 12 evenly spaced mousse stars along the outside edge of the top of the cake. (Depending on the size of the stars, you may end up with a wee bit of mousse left over. Mmm!) Top each star with a chocolate-covered espresso bean. Refrigerate for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
After assembly, you may keep the Excessively Expressive Espresso Ecstasy in the refrigerator for 2 days before serving. To avoid permeating the cake with refrigerator odors, place the cake in a large, tightly sealed plastic container.
To Serve
Heat the blade of a serrated slicer under hot running water and wipe the blade dry before cutting each slice. Serve immediately.
