Abby's cake is a recipe that I adapted from a very old Bon Appetit' Holiday issue, and the cake itself is very good. However, the original cake recipe called for something they called "poached cranberries" to go on the top. "Hmmm," I thought; "that recipe seems just like the cranberry sauce I make for my turkey, but SURELY, I must be mistaken".
After all this recipe came from BON APPETIT, and those poached cranberries were going on top of a cake with whipping cream...NOPE, NOT MISTAKEN!. It was cranberry sauce. I don't know what the folks at Bon Appetit' were thinking. Were they just trying to use up their leftovers!?! Around here we like our cranberry sauce on turkey not cake, so I leave the "poached cranberries" off. If you want the cake to be a bit more festive and formal, top it with some sliced strawberries or plate it on a pool of raspberry sauce. It's really just a flour-less chocolate cake, not a souffle, but it is GOOD. I cut14 slices from this cake. It's so rich that a small piece goes a long way.
Chocolate Souffle Cake
(adapted from Bon Appetit 1989)
Makes 10-14 servings
Chocolate Cake:
4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
10 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
7 large eggs at room temperature, separated
1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar
½ cup of Grand Marnier or concentrated orange juice
Chocolate Whipped Cream Topping:
3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup of chilled whipping cream
1 Tablespoon of Grand Marnier or orange juice
For Cake: Preheat the oven to 350ยบ F. Butter and sugar a 9-inch springform pan with 2 ½-inch sides. Melt both chocolates and butter in a double broiler. Stir until smooth. Remove from water. Combine yolks with ¾ cup plus 1 Tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. On low speed, gradually add Grand Marnier.
Add the chocolate mixture and stir just until incorporated. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar and continue beating until mixture is stiff but not dry. Gently fold into chocolate mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until top forms a crust but is still moist in the middle, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
For chocolate cream: Melt the chocolate in top of the double boiler. Remove and cool slightly. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the chocolate into the cream then fold in Grand Marnier.
Place cake on platter. Spread the top with 1 ½ cups of the cream, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Spoon fruit or pie filling into center if desired and pipe remaining cream decoratively around the cake. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead and refrigerated). Let cake stand for 1 hour at room temperature before serving.
This years hand-carved Santa made by my Dad hangs on a wire ornament stand. I love the wispy strands of his beard. 
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My grandfather started carving after my grandmother died. I have a few pieces he carved and I really treasure them. I have an angel, a donkey, and a rectangle box with a ball carved in it.
ReplyDeleteYour chocolate cake looks wonderful! I think it was a good call to leave off the cranberry sauce:) Your dad's handiwork is amazing!
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