Chocolate Intensity
from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book
makes one 9-inch cake or two mini 4 inch cakes
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 62% cocoa), finely chopped
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brewed coffee
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round
cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment round and butter the
parchment. (If you're using a pan with a removable bottom like a
springform, make sure to wrap the pan with 2 or 3 layers of foil.)
Place chopped chocolate in a large bowl.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, stir butter, sugar and coffee
until the butter is melted and mixture is boiling. Pour the hot
mixture over your chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute then
gently stir until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs vigorously until blended. Whisk in
the vanilla and salt. Slowly add about 3/4 cup hot chocolate mixture
to the eggs, whisking constantly. (Tempering the eggs with a little
bit of the hot chocolate mixture will prevent "scrambled eggs" when
combining the two mixtures.) Add the egg mixture to the hot chocolate
mixture and whisk to combine well.
Strain the batter through a sieve (to catch any cooked egg bits) and
then pour batter into prepared pan. Set cake pan in a large roasting
pan and fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the
sides of the cake pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the center is
shiny and set but still a bit jiggly. Transfer cake pan to a cooling
rack and cool for 20 minutes.
Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Place
a cardboard round on top of the pan and invert the cake onto it.
Remove pan and carefully remove the parchment paper. Refrigerate the
cake for at least 2 hours before glazing with chocolate glaze.
Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove pan from heat
and add the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute then gently stir
until chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth. Gently stir in the
vanilla. Transfer glaze to a small bowl and cover the surface of the
glaze with plastic wrap and let cool for 5 minutes at room temperature
before using.
To glaze the cake:
Place the chilled cake, still on the cake round, on a wire rack set
over a baking sheet. Slowly pour the hot glaze onto the center of the
cake. Smooth the glaze over the top and sides, letting the excess drip
onto the baking sheet.
Scrape the extra glaze from the baking sheet and put it in a small
ziploc bag. Seal the bag and cut a tiny hole in one of the bottom
corners. Gently squeeze the bag over the top of the cake to drizzle
the glaze in a decorative pattern. Refrigerate the cake at least one
hour before serving.
Over at "The Happiness Project," Gretchen lists some swell tips on non-diet weight loss. Nothing new here, but some good reminders of conscientious (vs. mindless) eating. Not a lot of "don't s (thank goodness), but some helpful do's. For example... 