Bon Appetit Desserts (24 page)

GANACHE:
Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat; add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm before using.

Cut torte into wedges; place on plates. Pour warm ganache over. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve.

Chocolate Gâteau with Lemon, Raisins, Almonds, and Muscat Custard Sauce

This recipe uses Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, a sweet white French wine that imparts a floral aroma to the raisins and custard sauce. If you can’t find this particular wine, a sweet Muscat from Italy or California is fine as a substitute.
6 to 8 servings

1 cup sweet Muscat wine (such as Muscat de Beaumes de Venise)

1 cup raisins

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

5 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

⅓ cup unbleached all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups heavy whipping cream

5 large egg yolks

¼ cup sugar

Powdered sugar

CAKE:
Bring wine and raisins to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let stand at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Generously butter parchment paper. Sprinkle half of almonds evenly over bottom of pan. Melt chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs, sugar, and lemon peel in large bowl until well blended. Stir in chocolate mixture, then flour and salt. Using slotted spoon, strain raisins, reserving wine mixture; mix raisins into batter. Stir remaining almonds into batter. Carefully pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake until set on top and tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Release pan sides and invert cake onto platter. Remove pan bottom and parchment.

SAUCE:
Simmer reserved wine over medium heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Gradually stir in hot cream; return mixture to saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until mixture thickens enough to coat back of spoon, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Immediately add reduced wine. Strain sauce into large bowl. Chill uncovered until cold, stirring occasionally, about 3 hours.

DO AHEAD:
Cake and sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep sauce refrigerated. Wrap cake with plastic and keep at cool room temperature.

Sift powdered sugar over cake. Cut into wedges and serve with sauce.

Semisweet Chocolate Layer Cake with Vanilla Cream Filling

This impressive cake has rich chocolate flavor, deep brown color, and a moist, tender crumb, all layered with a whipped cream filling and cloaked in a luxurious chocolate glaze. You can also make this cake using bittersweet chocolate; just be sure it has a cacao content no higher than 61 percent. If eight-inch cake pans are not available in the baking aisle at your supermarket, look for them at cookware stores.
10 servings

½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

½ cup boiling water

½ cup buttermilk

1⅓ cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1⅓ cups (packed) golden brown sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cold water

1¾ teaspoons unflavored gelatin

2¼ cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided

½ cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1¼ cups heavy whipping cream

⅓ cup light corn syrup

16 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Unsweetened cocoa powder or powdered sugar

CAKE:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line pan bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Combine cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate in medium bowl. Pour ½ cup boiling water over cocoa powder and chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk. Set chocolate mixture aside.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in another medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended (mixture will not be smooth). Add eggs and vanilla and beat until light and creamy. Beat in dry ingredients and chocolate mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 15 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks; peel off parchment. Cool completely.

CREAM FILLING:
Place 3 tablespoons cold water in small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Bring ½ cup cream just to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Add hot cream to softened gelatin; stir until gelatin dissolves. Place in refrigerator just until cool but not set, stirring frequently, 5 to 8 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1¾ cups cream, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl until peaks form. Gradually add gelatin mixture, beating until medium-firm peaks form.

Place 1 cake layer on 8-inch cardboard round or tart pan bottom. Spread half of filling over. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining filling over. Top with third cake layer. Using icing spatula, remove any excess filling that may have oozed out between cake layers. Chill on cardboard round until filling sets, about 2 hours.

GANACHE:
Meanwhile, bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Cool until thick enough to spread, about 2 hours.

Place cake, still on cardboard, on rack set in center of baking sheet. Spread ¼ of ganache over top and sides of cake. Chill cake 15 minutes. Spread ¼ of remaining ganache over top and sides of cake again. Chill cake 1 hour. Rewarm remaining ganache in small saucepan over low heat just until lukewarm and pourable, stirring constantly. Pour ganache over cold cake, spreading as needed to cover top and sides. Chill until ganache is set, about 2 hours.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before continuing.

Cut out paper heart shapes of differing sizes and lay flat atop cake. Sift cocoa powder or powdered sugar over. Carefully lift hearts from cake, revealing design, and serve.

Black Bottom Devil’s Food Cake