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Recipe and Newsletter Archive
CHOCOLATE GRAND MARNIER CAKE
9 oz. best quality bittersweet chocolate, choppedgarnish: ripe, red strawberries Butter an eight-inch springform cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment cut to fit. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the chopped chocolate, butter, Grand Marnier and vanilla in a heavy-bottomed pan, and melt slowly over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Allow it to cool to lukewarm, and stir in the grated orange zest. Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until they are smooth, thick and pale, at least 7 minutes. The beaten eggs should fall off the lifted beaters in fat ribbons. Fold a few tablespoons of the beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest. Be sure the chocolate is evenly incorporated into the foamy eggs, but stop as soon as it is. Put the batter into the prepared cake pan, place the pan on a baking sheet, and bake in the center of the oven for about fifty minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with only moist crumbs attached. You can cover the cake with a loose piece of foil for the last ten minutes if you feel the edges are getting very crisp. Allow the cake to cool a few minutes. It will start to fall in the center. Gently press down on the edges, to bring them more or less in line with the middle. Then leave the cake to cool completely. Run a knife around the edge of the cake, and remove the springform. Invert the cake onto a rack or plate and peel away the parchment. Sift powdered sugar over the cake, then transfer it to a platter. You can arrange strawberries and mint sprigs around the cake if you like. Serve it with ripe berries and Grand Marnier Cream. This cake serves 8, and the servings are meant to be moderate.
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and Grand Marnier unitl it holds soft peaks. Keep it cold, in a covered bowl, until needed - but try to use it within a few hours of whipping it.
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