Deep Dark Chocolate (11 page)

4 to 4½ teaspoons (2 packages) active dry yeast

¼ cup warm (110° to 115°F) water

¾ cup warm (110° to 115°F) whole milk

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour, divided

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs, at room temperature

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

6 ounces premium dark chocolate, melted

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir to blend. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir and mix in the milk and 1½ cups of the flour until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until light and spongy, about 30 minutes.

With a stand or hand mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the yeast mixture and vanilla and beat until just blended.

In another bowl, whisk the remaining 1½ cups flour, the baking soda, and salt until blended. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture, alternating with the melted chocolate, and beat until well blended and smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again.

Generously butter a 10-inch tube pan. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until light and bubbly, about 1 hour. After 40 minutes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the dough and bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 50 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack in the pan for at least 20 minutes. Gently loosen the edges with a thin knife before inverting onto the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Papa Haydn’s Chocolate Gâteau

serves
10 to 12
makes
one cake

EVELYN FRANZ IS A GENIUS WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING
chocolate desserts. For nearly thirty years, she has been the mastermind behind the elegant and delicious desserts at Papa Haydn’s, a restaurant she co-founded in Portland, Oregon. She first tasted this cake in London at the River Café. They called it “chocolate nemesis,” but for her, it was love at first bite. Luckily for us, when she returned home, Evelyn developed a recipe for her own rendition.

12 ounces premium dark chocolate, chopped

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cup hot or warm espresso or strong coffee

½ cup heavy (whipping) cream

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

Lightly sweetened and whipped heavy cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment or waxed paper. (If using a springform pan, wrap the outside with aluminum foil to avoid leaking.) Prepare a water bath by placing a terry-cloth washcloth in the bottom of a roasting or similar-style pan. (This prevents the pan from sliding, insulates the bottom, and helps prevent overcooking.) Place the chocolate and espresso in a large heatproof bowl and set in a wide pan or skillet of hot water. Set aside for 5 minutes, stirring
4 or 5 times, and let the chocolate melt completely. Stir until smooth and keep warm. Using a hand mixer with clean beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Remove the bowl of a stand mixer and place it in a hot (150° to 155°F) water bath. Add the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt and, with a hand-held mixer, beat until the mixture is warm and the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Reattach the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk the mixture on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Alternately fold one-third of the egg mixture and one-third of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until all is combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan on the washcloth in the roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the top of the cake is set, 80 to 90 minutes. Remove the cake from the water bath and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Gently loosen the edges with a thin knife before inverting onto the rack. To serve, carefully remove the parchment and refrigerate until cool, at least 2 hours. Slice into thin wedges and serve with the sweetened whipped cream.

Chocolate Gingerbread with CacaoNib Whipped Cream

serves
8
makes
one 9-inch round cake

THIS IS THE DESSERT TO MAKE WHEN YOU WANT YOUR
kitchen to smell heavenly and your guests to feel at home. The cake is simple but wonderful, with intriguing tastes and the texture of fresh ginger flecks interlaced with premium chocolate. It will become one of your favorites, especially when you serve it warm from the oven with a lofty helping of cacao-nib whipped cream.

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

¼ cup premium cacao nibs, chopped into small bits

2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or more to taste

Pinch of salt

Gingerbread

2 ounces premium dark chocolate, chopped

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan

1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

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cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons premium unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting (optional)

¾ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger (about 1½ ounces whole)

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cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

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cup dark honey, at room temperature or slightly warm

1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten