Chocolate Cognac Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Make ganache:
• Bring cream and butter to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, then reduce heat to low. Whisk in chocolate until smooth and remove from heat. Transfer ganache to a bowl and chill, covered, stirring every 30 minutes, until thickened but spreadable, about 2 hours. (If ganache becomes too stiff, let stand at room temperature until slightly softened.)
• Make cake layers while ganache chills:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter cake pans and line bottom of each with a round of parchment or wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess flour.
• Pulse chestnuts with flour, baking soda, and salt in a food processor until finely ground.
• Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or about 6 minutes with a handheld. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla (mixture will look a little separated). Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and sour cream alternately in 3 batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing until just combined.
• Divide batter evenly among pans and bake in middle of oven until pale golden and springy to the touch, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks, then invert onto racks and remove parchment.
• Make mousse and assemble torte:
• Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth, and stir in Cognac. Transfer to a bowl and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened to the consistency of softened butter, about 1 hour. (If mixture becomes too stiff, let stand at room temperature until softened.)
• Beat cream in a bowl with cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks, then chill, covered, while beginning to assemble torte.
• Put 1 cake layer on cardboard round on a rack set in a shallow baking pan (1 inch deep). Spread 1/2 cup ganache evenly over top of layer and sprinkle with all of chopped marrons glacés. Top marrons glacés with another 1/4 cup ganache and cover with another cake layer.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add sugar and beat at high speed until whites just hold stiff peaks. Stir whipped cream into chocolate Cognac mixture, then stir in one third of whites to lighten. Fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon mousse immediately onto cake layer (it sets quickly), spreading evenly, then top with third cake layer. Chill torte, covered, until mousse layer is firm, about 1 hour. Keep remaining ganache at a spreadable consistency at room temperature, chilling, covered, if it becomes too soft.
• Glaze cake:
• Reserve 1 1/4 cups ganache in a metal bowl, then spread remainder over top and side of torte to seal in crumbs. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• Set bowl of reserved ganache over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until ganache reaches a pourable consistency. Remove bowl from heat and cool 5 minutes. Pour ganache evenly over top of torte, making sure it coats all of side. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze (let excess drip into baking pan). Transfer cake on cardboard to a cake stand or plate using 2 large heavy metal spatulas and chill until set. Garnish just before serving.

Steps:

• Place the cookies in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
• Transfer them to a mixing bowl.
• Place the 2-3/4 oz. of chocolate and 1/2 cup of butter in a microwave bowl.
• Place in microwave and melt them in 15 second increments.
• Stirring a few times.
• Give the chocolate and butter a final stirring to mix well, then pour over the cookie crumbs and mix together.
• Put this mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and press down to form a base.
• Place in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
• Place the chocolate in a large microwave safe mixing bowl and melt in 15 second increments.
• Beat in the mascarpone, egg yolks and brandy.
• Whip the cream until it just holds its shape and fold it into the chocolate mixture.
• Using a grease-free bowl and clean beaters, whip the egg whites to soft peaks.
• Add the sugar, a little at a time, and beat until the whites are thick and glossy.
• Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture in two batches, until just mixed.
• Spoon the mixture onto the chilled base and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• To serve:.
• Carefully remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a serving plate.
• Pipe 12 rosettes of the whipped cream and top each with a chocolate coffee bean.
• Cut into 12 wedges and serve.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Grease and line with parchment paper a 10-inch/25 cm cake pan, with quite high sides.
• Boil a full kettle of water and set aside. Have a roasting pan at the ready that will accommodate the cake pan comfortably.
• Put the Cognac or rum, espresso, chocolate and vanilla into a saucepan and melt over a bain-marie.
• Break the eggs into a large glass or metal bowl with the sugar. Set the bowl over a pot of warm water, and beat until the mixture has tripled in volume and has the consistency of whipped cream. This will take about 10 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whip the cream into peaks.
• Partially fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add the whipped heavy cream and continue folding the mixtures until evenly combined. Pour into the cake pan. Set the cake pan into the roasting pan, and slide it into the oven. Now, pour the hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
• Bake until set, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven, open the door and let the cake sit for 15 minutes to sink evenly back into the pan. Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit 30 minutes in the water bath. Remove from the bath and flip the cake onto a platter. Press gold leaf, if using, on the top to decorate. Serve with sweetened whipped cream on the side.

Steps:

• Combine the dates and cognac in a bowl and let macerate about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, combine the macerated dates, almonds, and coconut. Mix until the ingredients come together into a paste.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the melted chocolate into the date mixture and set aside.
• In another bowl, whip together the egg whites and salt until they just begin to form soft peaks. While slowly adding the sugar, continue whipping the whites until they form firm peaks. Fold in the cocoa, cardamom, and ginger until just combined. Working in 3 batches, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the date-chocolate mixture until just combined.
• Scoop chocolate batter into buttered ramekins or molds. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out dry, about 12 minutes. Lower the oven to 325 degrees F.
• To serve, unmold the cakes onto a baking sheet and top each with a chilled chocolate-almond wafer. Put the cakes into the oven and bake until the wafer just melts, about 15 seconds. Spoon a small pool of sauce onto plates, and gently place the cakes into the sauce. Serve.
• Put the chocolate into a bowl. Bring the cream to a gentle simmer, pour over the chocolate, and stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Fold in the spices and nuts. Spread the chocolate batter evenly onto a silicone mat or wax paper-lined baking sheet and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Using a round cookie cutter, cut the wafer into discs that are slightly larger than the top of the cakes.
• Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, reduced and thickened.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with a round of wax paper; do not butter the pan.
• Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl set over hot water.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted; set aside.
• In a bowl, whisk the two whole eggs and the 4 egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar just until blended.
• Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture.
• Whisk in the optional cognac or Grand Marnier and the optional orange zest.
• In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the 4 egg whites until foamy.
• Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until the whites form soft mounds that hold their shape, but are not quite stiff.
• Stir about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it; gently fold in the remaining whites.
• Pour the batter into the pan; smooth the top.
• Bake until the top of the cake is puffed and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly, usually 35 to 40 minutes.
• Do not overbake.
• Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack; the cake will sink as it cools, forming a crater with high sides.
• FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING: At serving time, whip the cream with the confectioner's sugar and vanilla until not quite stiff.
• With a spatula, carefully fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, pushing it gently to the edges.
• Dust the top lightly with cocoa powder.
• Run the tip of a knife around the edges of the cake; carefully remove the sides of the pan and serve.

Steps:

• Put the sugar into a large bowl. Beat the softened butter into the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating to incorporate. Then, while constantly beating, add the honey, spices and flour. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them into the batter with the baking powder, walnuts, almonds and candied orange.
• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 4. Butter and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin and tip in the cake batter - it should come no more than halfway up the tin. Put in the oven and lower the temperature to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 and bake for 50 mins-1 hr or until a skewer poked into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
• To make the topping, put the butter into a saucepan, add 2 tbsp cold water, the sugar and the cocoa. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 5 mins. Take off the heat and, stirring constantly, pour in the cognac. Coat the cooled gingerbread with the glaze and set aside to cool.