Bar of Chocolate with Cocoa, Cocoa Powder and Cocoa Beans
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Rees, Peter
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La Belle Cuisine

Black Chocolate Espresso Cake
with Bittersweet Glaze

In the Sweet Kitchen:
The Definitive Baker's Companion
© by Regan Daley, 2001, Artisan, a division of
Workman Publishing Co., Inc.
IACP Cookbook of the Year, 2001
by Regan Daley, 2001, Artisan

“Huge, heavy and heavenly, this cake is almost jet black, with a
wicked chocolate flavour. It hardly needs it, but the glaze is great.
The cake begins as a somewhat strange batter, as the large amount
of brewed coffee seems to be too much liquid for the rest of the
batter. But it contributes both a balanced flavour and a wonderful
moistness and in the end the cake does work, beautifully.”

Serves 12 to 16

Cake:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, in small pieces
7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, the best
you can afford, coarsely chopped
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate,
coarsely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
dissolved in 2 cups boiling water, cooled
(or 2 cups of strong black coffee)
3 cups granulated sugar
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) Kahlúa or other
coffee-flavoured liqueur
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:
10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet
chocolate, chopped
7 tablespoons unsalted butter,
in small pieces

Additional unsalted butter, at room
temperature, for greasing the pan
Dark chocolate-covered espresso beans or
chocolate coffee bean-shaped candies, for garnish
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch springform
pan, line with a circle of parchment paper and lightly grease the
paper. Combine the butter, both chocolates and coffee in the top
of a double boiler or a stainless steel or glass bowl. Set the bowl
or insert over a pot of barely simmering water and stir frequently
with a wooden spoon until melted. If the melted mixture appears
somewhat speckled with what looks like unmelted chocolate,
don’t be concerned. (Different chocolates have different cocoa
butter and cocoa solids content and when melted with such a
large quantity of liquid may seem to separate.) Place the sugar
in the bottom of a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of an electric
mixer. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and pour
over the sugar. Stir to blend and dissolve the sugar, then allow
to cool for 10 minutes.
2. With a wire whisk or the paddle attachment of an electric mixer,
add the Kahlúa and vanilla extract to the cooled chocolate mix-
ture and blend well. Blend in the lightly beaten eggs, making
sure they are thoroughly incorporated. The batter at this point
will be extremely thin; don’t worry, just make sure to work
each added ingredient into it carefully.
3. Sift the flours, baking soda and salt together. Add dry ingredients
to the chocolate mixture in two additions, scraping down the sides
of the bowl several times. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
The batter may have little lumps, but they won’t affect the finished
cake.
4. Place the prepared pan on a baking sheet to catch any leaks and
pour the batter into the pan. Bake in the middle of the oven for
1 3/4 hours to 2 hours, rotating the pan several times during that
time to ensure even baking. The cake bakes slowly and stays
beautifully moist. A crust will form on the top of the cake and
may crack. Test for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer in
a fault of the crust, poking near the centre of the cake. It should
come out clean, or with only very few moist crumbs clinging to
it. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the
pan set on a rack. (The cake may be made up to 2 days ahead
of time and kept in the pan at room temperature, covered tightly
with plastic wrap.
5. To prepare the glaze, combine the chopped chocolate and butter
in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering
water. Stir frequently until melted, then remove from the heat and
cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Run a thin-bladed knife around
the cake and loosen and remove the sides of the pan. Using a long-
bladed serrated knife, carefully even out the top of the cake, slicing
off any domed or uneven part of the crust. Use long, slow strokes
of the knife, keeping the blade perfectly parallel with the counter.
6. Place a dab of chocolate glaze on a 10-inch cardboard cake circle
and invert the cake onto the board. Remove the pan bottom and
the parchment paper. (If you haven’t got a cake circle or other
piece of cardboard cut to 10 inches round, invert the cake into a
plate and remove the pan bottom but leave the paper. Re-invert
the cake onto a second plate and place the pan bottom on the
top of the cake. Invert the cake a third time, ending up with the
bottom- side up, top-side down on the metal pan bottom and
peel off the paper.) Brush any crumbs from the cake and pour
the warm glaze onto the centre. Using a metal spatula or palette
knife, coax the glaze to the edges of the cake and over the sides;
quickly spread the overflow evenly onto the sides. Garnish with
the chocolate-covered espresso beans. Give the glaze an hour
or so to set, then serve the cake with lightly sweetened whipped
cream, if desired.
 

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