Bailey Brett - Death by chocolate cakes : an astonishing array of chocolate enchantment

D EATH BY CHOCOLATE ? Not according to the Harvard School of Public Health, which stated that, in a recent study of 7,841 Harvard male graduates, chocolate eatersregardless of how voracious their appetiteslive almost a year longer than those who abstain.

So how much more encouragement do we need to yield to our passion for chocolate? Probably not much if you are reading this book. I would guess that like me, you have probably been a lifelong chocolate lover. My obsession with chocolate started at an early age: Teething with unfettered abandon on my mothers dark chocolate fudge was followed by the voracious sinking of newly emerged teeth into her absurdly chocolaty caramels. More serious and texturally engaging treats followed as mom tried to keep her rambunctious, chocolate-loving brood under control (under her chocolate spell may be more accurate). As my five sisters and I maneuvered through the vicissitudes of being kids, our behavior was constantly being tempered by homemade chocolate confections.

Now, Im not saying that chocolate is the answer to solidifying family values, but Im also not saying it isnt. I shall leave it up to you, my fellow chocophile, to decide whether or not Chocolate Heart of Darkness Cakes will mend a wounded psyche, or whether a Chocolate Chip Goober Gobble Cupcake will get an ants-in-the-pants kid stuck to the dining room table. But who knows?

After all, theyre not just cakes; theyre Death by Chocolate Cakes .

CHOCOLATE HEART of DARKNESS CAKES

MAKES CAKES

DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE HEARTS

8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

cup heavy cream

CHOCOLATE COCOA CAKES

5 ounces unsalted butter, cut into -ounce pieces; plus 2 teaspoons (melted)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

cup unsweetened cocoa powder

8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the Dark Chocolate Truffle Hearts

Place 8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate in a small bowl. Heat cup heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate. Set aside for 5 minutes and then stir with a whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture (called ganache) onto a nonstick baking sheet and use a rubber spatula to spread the ganache in a smooth, even layer to within about 1 inch of the inside edges. Place the ganache in the freezer for 15 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, until very firm to the touch.

Line a 10- to 12-inch dinner plate with parchment paper or wax paper. Remove the firm ganache from the freezer or the refrigerator. Portion 12 heaping tablespoons (a bit more than 1 ounce each) of ganache onto the paper. Wearing a pair of disposable vinyl (or latex) gloves, individually roll each portion of ganache in your palms in a circular motion, using just enough gentle pressure to form a smooth orb. This is a traditional truffle. You should refrain from indulging in them now, since absence of a truffle in a cake will make the heart grow darker. Return each formed truffle to the paper-lined plate, and place in the freezer while preparing the cake batter.

Make the Chocolate Cocoa Cakes

Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly coat the inside of each of 12 individual nonstick muffin cups (3 inches in diameter) with some of the 2 teaspoons melted butter. Set aside until needed.

In a sifter, combine 2/3 cup flour and cup cocoa powder. Sift onto a large piece of parchment paper (or wax paper), and set aside until needed.

Melt 8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate and 5 ounces of butter in the top half of a double boiler, or in a microwave oven (see Melting Chocolate in a Double Boiler for more details), and stir until smooth.

Place 3 eggs, 2 egg yolks, and cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is slightly frothy. Add the melted chocolate and butter and mix on low speed to combine, about 15 seconds. Continue to operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the sifted dry ingredients. Once they have been incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix on medium to combine, about 15 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter until thoroughly combined.

Portion 3 heaping tablespoons (about 2 ounces) of the cake batter into each muffin cup. Place the muffin tin on the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove the truffles from the freezer. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and, moving quickly, place a single frozen truffle in the center of each portion of cake batter, pressing the truffle about halfway down into the batter. Immediately return the muffin tin to the center rack of the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into a cake (not the truffle) comes out clean, 17 to 18 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. To remove the cakes from the muffin cups, hold the top edge of a cake, and give the cake a slight jiggle to loosen it from inside the cup. Then insert the pointed tip of a knife into an outside edge of the top of the cake and loosen it so that you can gently pull the baked cake out of the cup. Serve immediately while still warm.

THE CHEFS TOUCH

You are undoubtedly aware that chocolate has not only pleased palates but also increased libido since the Aztec emperor Montezuma quaffed a cold, spiced cocoa drink before engaging in corporeal activities of a passionate nature. In Montezumas day, only the elite had the privilege of chocolate, and indeed, drinking it from a golden goblet was de rigueur. The masses remained uninformed about chocolates virtues until the seventeenth century, when English Quakers popularized sweetened hot chocolate as an alternative to demon gin. Ever since that time, chocolate lovers have had a warm spot in their hearts for hot chocolate (even though gin has remained one of the more popular sins).

Which brings me to Chocolate Heart of Darkness. This warm, molten chocolate cake is so sensual it could be the eighth deadly sin. How appropriate that it was created by my sister Denise Yocum, a psychologist in Massachusetts. Whose lust was she analyzing when she developed this recipe?

If the racks in your oven slide out easily and are stable, instead of removing the muffin tin from the oven, slide the center rack out and quickly insert the truffles. Then return the rack to its place and finish the baking.

After the Chocolate Heart of Darkness Cakes have cooled to room temperature, you may keep them covered with plastic wrap for up to 24 hours at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Being a purist who is stuck in his ways, here is a revelation I hate to admit: The cakes may be rewarmed in a microwave oven, and they are extraordinary. Make sure the cakes are at room temperature, then heat them one or two at a time for 30 to 40 seconds in a microwave oven set on defrost power. The cake will be warm and moist, and the truffle center will be a hot ooze of ecstasy.