Seriously Rich Chocolate Cake Recipes

RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10-in. springform pan and wrap bottom of pan with heavy-duty foil; set aside., In a large saucepan, combine chips, butter, cream and sugar; cook over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir until smooth. Pour into a large bowl; cool., In another large bowl, beat eggs on high 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat into chocolate mixture, a third at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla., Pour into prepared pan; place on a baking sheet. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs (top will crack). Cool on a wire rack (cake will settle). Cover and chill 1 hour. Run a knife around edge of pan before removing sides., For glaze, in a large saucepan, combine chips, cream, butter and corn syrup; cook over low heat until chocolate is melted; stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir until smooth., Spread enough of the glaze over top and sides of cake to cover. Chill 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining glaze. Chill overnight. Serve with raspberries and mint if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.,

SERIOUSLY RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3/fan oven 150C. Grease a 23cm/9in springform cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Dust the sides with a little flour. Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Heat until melted, then remove the bowl from the pan and stir until smooth. Leave for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.
• Stir in the egg yolks, ground almonds, and the liqueur, if using. Put the egg whites into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk until soft peaks form. Continue whisking, sprinkling in the sugar a little at a time, until stiff peaks form. Stir 2 tablespoons of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remainder until no traces of white are left.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and just firm to the touch. Cool in the tin (don't worry if the cake sinks and cracks slightly - it will still be fine). You can make the cake up to this stage up to four days ahead and keep it in an airtight container in a cool place. It also freezes well for up to one month.
• To serve, remove the cake from the tin and peel away the lining paper. Sift cocoa powder liberally over the top and cut into slices. Serve with crème fraîche.