From the "mix-and-dump" variety to the exquisitely layered and filled Marjolaine, Michele Urvater's Chocolate Cake makes sure that no matter how much time you have or your level of kitchen experience--whether you prefer sweet to bitter chocolate, whether you're looking for something fancy to impress or something easy to make someone happy--you will find a chocolate cake to fit the bill in this book.
This cheesecake, with its generous amount of dark and white chocolates, is incredibly rich. This is to consider for a holiday dinner party or as a centerpiece on a buffet table because it can be made days ahead of serving. A nice touch, which cuts the richness of the cake, is to serve some peeled fresh orange segments on the side.
Makes one 10-inch cake; Serves 16 to 20
22 (5 ounces) 2-inch-square graham crackers
3/4 stick (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups (13 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup heavy cream
5 large eggs
4 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom only of a 10 x 3-inch springform pan, and wrap the outside of the pan with foil to prevent leakage.
In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, pulverize the graham crackers into crumbs. (You'll have about 11/4 cups.) Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl, add the melted butter, and mix with a rubber spatula. With your fingers, press the crumb mixture over the bottom of the springform pan, reaching all the way to the sides so it forms a bit of a seal against leakage. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and immediately scatter the chopped chocolate evenly over the crust. Return the pan to the oven for a minute to melt the chocolate, remove it from the oven, and with a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, quickly spread the chocolate over the crust. Set aside and lower the heat to 300 degrees F.
With an electric mixer (or a stationary mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) on low speed, beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes or until soft and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the machine running, add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the orange zest, flour, and cream, and continue to beat slowly until homogenized. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 15 seconds between additions to make sure each one is thoroughly incorporated.
Pour 3 cups of the batter into a separate bowl and blend in the white chocolate. Blend the unsweetened chocolate into the remaining batter.
Alternately and randomly spoon the dark and white batters into the prepared pan. With a knife, or the blunt end of a wooden skewer, swirl the chocolate batter into the white one, but don't over mix.
Set the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. Lower the heat to 250 degrees F and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour longer, or until the batter does not look wet. The cake will still appear wobbly, but that is okay.
Remove the cake to a wire rack and cool it to room temperature in the pan. Unlock the springform and lift out the cake, but leave it on the metal base. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
Storage: Keep in the refrigerator, wrapped airtight in plastic, for up to 5 days. Remove the cheesecake 30 minutes before serving. You can also freeze this cake for a couple of months.
