Death by Chocolate Cake

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It's New Year's Eve 2009. We've been invited over to some friends' house to celebrate, and I want to bring something special.

Since the year is dying, how about a Death by Chocolate cake? Something so completely loaded with chocolate that after one slice you roll over and die a most happy death. Yep, that's what I'm talking about!

This chocolate creation is five layers of chocolate cake separated with a chocolate cream filling. If you wanted, you could quit right here, dust it with powdered sugar, and call it good. But, to achieve ultimate chocolate overkill, I put on a dark chocolate glaze made with Lindt dark chocolate (85% cocoa), and then I topped all off with milk chocolate curls (Guittard milk chocolate is my favorite).

I spent a good part of the day involved with this cake. Was it worth it? You betcha! No one actually died, but we all went to Chocolate Heaven!

R.I.P.!

Death by Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 1 ¼ cups water
  
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp. baking soda
  
• ½ tsp. salt
  
• 6 oz. unsalted butter, softened
  
• 1 ½ cups sugar
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
  
• 2 cups heavy cream
  
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
  
• ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
  

Preheat oven to 375˚. Grease and flour two 9-in. round cake pans.

Melt the chocolate chips with ¼ cup of the water. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the chocolate. Alternately beat in the flour mixture and the remaining 1 cup of water on medium speed until well blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the pans on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out and cool completely.

In a small bowl, using clean beaters, beat the cream, cocoa and powdered sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Using a long, serrated knife, split each cake layer in half horizontally. Place one split cake layer on a serving platter and spread with ⅓ of the whipped cream filling. Repeat with the remaining layers and filling. Frost the top with dark chocolate glaze and let the glaze run down the side. Decorate the top with the milk chocolate curls.

Dark Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. unsalted butter, softened
  
• 3 Tbsps. light corn syrup
  
• 2 Tbsps. Water
  
• 8 0z. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, corn syrup and water. Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring frequently, over moderate heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the chocolate all at once, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Transfer the glaze to a small bowl and cool slightly.

Chocolate Curls

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. dark, white, or milk chocolate, melted
  

Using a metal spatula, spread the melted chocolate evenly, about 1/16-in. thick, over the back of a 12"x18" baking sheet. Chill for at least 20 minutes or until chocolate is firm. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and warm to room temperature, or until the chocolate is soft enough to scrape.

Hold a metal spatula at a 45˚ angle with the pan and scrape the chocolate from the surface to form curls. If the chocolate cracks or splinters, it's still too cold. If the chocolate melts against the spatula, it's too warm and should be chilled again briefly.