Chocolate cake

another recipe from Martha Stewart's "Desserts" book for this week baking. i baked them in mini cheesecake molds instead of spring form pans as Martha's recipe. i also added the grand marnier.

here's the recipe:

for the ganache:

55-60gr dark chocolate, coarsely chopped. i used El Rey brand 70% cocoa.
90gr heavy cream

for the cake:

355 gr dark chocolate, coarsely chopped, same brand as above.

90 gr sugar (to mix with yolk)
65 gr sugar (for meringue - or eggwhites)
85-90 gr butter, slice into 1/4" thick slices.
80-85 gr yolk, about 5 yolks
165-170 gr eggwhite, about 5 whites.
75 gr almond flour (ground almond), sifted.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons grand marnier, optional
powder sugar for dusting, optional
more butter to greasing molds

method:

cut parchment into 12 1 and 7/8" rounds to line the bottom of mold. also cut 12 3" x 12" strips of parchement to make the molds.

melt butter for greasing. brush parchment rounds and strips with melted butter, line bottom with rounds and roll strips into 2" cylinders. insert cylinders into mold. wrap bottom of mold with foil to catch dripping if any, set the whole thing on jelly roll pan.

Ganache:

over medium heat, bring cream to bubbling point, pour over chocolate, let it sit for 5 minutes and stir until smooth. Fill ganache in 12 small cubes in ice tray and freeze in freezer.

Cake batter:

in double boiler (or set a glass bowl over a pot of water, melt chocolate with butter over simmering water. let it cool down a bit.

beat egg yolks with sugar and vanilla until the color turns pale yellow, about 2 minutes on medium and 3 minutes on high.

fold melted chocolate in to yolk.

fold amond in to chocolate/yolk mixture. set a side.

beat egg white with a pinch of salt and then sugar to a stiff meringue.

fold meringue into yolk mixture in 3 to 4 portions.

fill parchment cylinders 1/3 way. unmold ganache from icetray and insert in center of each cynlider.

fill cylinders with the rest of batter, cover ganache completely.

freeze in freezer for an hr.

preheat oven at 375F. transfer baking tray from frezzer to oven and bake for about 30 minutes.

let the cake cool on rack for 10 minute before unmold.

add a few drops of grand marnier to each cake. dust with powder sugar - optional. serve warm, cake can be kept covered at room temp for a day or longer in refrigerator. for the best taste, re-heat cakes in microwave for about 15 seconds if not serving cake immediately.