Bon Appetit Desserts (47 page)

Melt chocolate with butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar and vanilla, then whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in flour, then cherry mixture. Transfer batter to prepared bowl.

Bake cake in bowl 30 minutes. Fold foil overhang over edges of cake to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake cake until top is cracked and dry and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist batter attached, about 55 minutes longer. Cool cake completely in bowl on rack (cake may fall in center). Press edge of cake firmly to level with center of cake. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.

WHIPPED CREAM
: Using electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, kirsch, and almond extract in large bowl until cream holds peaks.

Invert cake onto platter. Peel off foil. Spoon whipped cream into large pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe whipped cream stars over cake, covering completely. Pipe additional stars over top flat center of cake to form dome.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and chill.

Decorate with candied violet petals.

Cranberry-Chocolate Soufflé Cake

Don’t be alarmed when this cake falls in the center as it cools—it’s the nature of soufflés and flourless chocolate cakes like this one. Whipped chocolate cream cleverly covers the top of the cake, hiding the sunken center and adding a luxurious touch. The cranberries need to stand in syrup overnight, so begin making this a day ahead.
10 servings

2½ cups sugar

1 cup water

3 cups fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter

7 extra-large eggs, separated, room temperature

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

⅓ cup Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

POACHED CRANBERRIES
: Bring sugar and 1 cup water to boil in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries, orange peel, cinnamon, and allspice. Simmer until cranberries pop, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand in syrup overnight. Drain cranberries before using.

CAKE
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and sugar 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2½-inch-high sides. Melt both chocolates and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from over water. Combine egg yolks with ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in Grand Marnier on low speed. Add chocolate mixture and stir just until incorporated. Using electric mixer fitted with clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining ¼ cup sugar; continue beating until mixture is stiff but not dry. Gently fold into chocolate mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until top forms crust but inside is still moist, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack (cake may fall while cooling).

DO AHEAD
:
Cake can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Keep at room temperature.

TOPPING
: Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from over water and cool until just warm to touch. Using electric mixer, beat cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add melted chocolate to cream and fold together. Fold in Grand Marnier.

Place cake on platter; remove pan sides. Spread top of cake with 1½ cups chocolate cream, leaving ½-inch border around edge of cake. Top with poached cranberries. Spoon remaining cream into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe cream decoratively around top edge of cake.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 3 hours ahead. Chill. Let cake stand about 1 hour at room temperature before serving.

Chocolate, Orange, and Macadamia Bûche de Noël

The
bûche de Noël,
or yule log, was created in France during the late 19th century by pastry chefs who were inspired by the wood logs that burned on hearths throughout Christmas Eve. A
bûche de Noël
is basically a jelly roll—a rolled sponge cake with a spiral of buttercream—frosted and decorated with meringue mushrooms to resemble a real tree stump. Sometimes a dusting of powdered sugar is added to resemble fallen snow. Any rolled cake can be decorated to create a
bûche de Noël.
This one has a chocolate sponge cake, an orange buttercream filling, chocolate frosting, and, of course, all the trimmings. It would look beautiful garnished with the candied rosemary on pages 46-48.
8 servings

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 large egg yolk

¼ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

⅓ cup unbleached all purpose flour

⅓ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons finely grated orange peel

1½ cups plus 1½ tablespoons sugar

1½ cups water

5 large egg yolks, room temperature

6 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur

2¼ cups (4 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 ½ tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

4 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

⅔ cup macadamia nuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

Meringue Mushrooms (see recipe)

CAKE
: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 17½×11×1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt in large bowl at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Sift in flour and cocoa. Add orange peel; gently fold together. Spread batter evenly in prepared sheet. Bake until cake is springy to touch and just begins to pull from sides of pan, about 7 minutes. Using small sharp knife, cut around cake edges to loosen. Transfer cake and parchment to work surface and let cool.

BUTTERCREAMS
: Bring sugar and 1½ cups water to boil in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling without stirring until candy thermometer registers 240°F (soft-ball stage), occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush.

Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat egg yolks in medium bowl until thickened. Add Cointreau. Gradually beat in hot syrup. Continue beating until bottom of bowl cools to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Add butter, 3 tablespoons at a time, beating at medium speed after each addition until smooth. Mix in orange juice concentrate. Transfer 3 ¼ cups buttercream to small bowl. Mix melted chocolate into remaining buttercream. (If buttercream looks broken or curdled, place bowl with buttercream over medium heat on stove burner and whisk 5 to 10 seconds to warm mixture slightly. Then remove from heat and beat mixture again at medium speed. Repeat warming and beating as many times as needed until buttercream is smooth.)

Invert cake onto sheet of plastic wrap. Carefully remove parchment. Spread orange buttercream over cake, leaving 1-inch border on long side. Sprinkle with macadamias. Using plastic wrap as aid, roll up cake jelly-roll style, starting at long side and rolling toward side with uncovered border.

Trim to make ends of roll even. Cut 2 inches off each end of roll at 45-degree angle [1]. Using plastic as aid, transfer roll to platter, seam side down. Spread some chocolate buttercream on cut ends of 2-inch pieces. With buttercream touching cake, place 1 piece atop cake off center; place second piece on 1 long side of cake to resemble tree stump. Transfer 1 cup chocolate buttercream to pastry bag fitted with ¼-inch plain tip. Spread remaining chocolate buttercream over cake. Pipe buttercream in spirals over ends of bûche and stumps, starting at center of each. Run fork tines through buttercream to create bark pattern [2].

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving.

Garnish with Meringue Mushrooms just before serving.

Meringue Mushrooms