=== CHOCOLATE CAKE ===
1 c Cake flour
1/2 c Unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 ts Baking powder
2 Egg yolks
5 tb Sugar
5 tb Melted unsalted butter;
-cooled
3 Egg whites; room temperature
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Cream of tartar
=== CHOCOLATE-PECAN PUDDING
-===
5 oz Bittersweet chocolate;
-chopped
6 Egg yolks
2 1/2 c Heavy cream
5 tb Sugar
1/2 c Roasted pecans
1 ts Vanilla
=== MOCHA SAUCE ===
2 c Heavy cream
2 tb Tia Maria
1 Vanilla bean; split and
-scraped
2 Egg yolks
1/2 c Sugar
2 tb Espresso coffee
Whipped cream; in pastry bag
Powdered sugar; in shaker
1/2 Sheet – pan with melted
-chocolate; broken up
Espresso powder
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan.
For the cake: Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking powder together. In a
mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is pale
in color. Stir in the butter. Fold in the dry ingredients and mix until
thoroughly incorporated. In an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, salt
and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold the white into the
chocolate mixture. Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake for 35
minutes. Allow the cake to cool and remove the sides of the pan. Slice the
cake into 4 equal layers. Leave the bottom layer in the pan and reattach
the sides of the pan. For the pudding: Melt chocolate in a double-boiler.
Remove the double-boiler from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks. In a
sauce pan, bring the cream and sugar up to a boil. Whisk the cream into the
chocolate mixture. Fold in the pecans and vanilla. Spread a quarter of the
chocolate pudding over the first layer and top with another layer of the
cake. Continue to layer the pudding and cake until the cake is completed.
Let the cake sit for 2 to 3 hours to allow the cake to absorb the pudding.
For the sauce: In a sauce pan, bring the cream and Tia Maria to a boil with
the vanilla bean. Cover the pan and remove from the heat, and set aside to
infuse the cream for 15 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs while
gradually adding the sugar. Whisk the cream into the egg mixture. Pour back
into the sauce pan and bring the sauce up to a simmer. Cook the sauce until
it coats the back of the spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. Strain and cool.
Whisk in the coffee. Spoon the sauce in the middle of the plate. Place a
piece of the cake in the center of the sauce. Garnish with the whipped
cream, powdered sugar, and broken chocolate pieces. This recipe yields 8
servings.
Yields
8 servings