1/4 c Raisins
1/4 c Scotch whisky or rum
1 c Semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 lb Unsalted butter
3 lg Eggs; separated
2/3 c Sugar
4 1/2 tb Cake flour
2/3 c Finely ground blanched
-almonds
1 pn Salt
=== CHOCOLATE GANACHE ===
1 1/3 c Semisweet chocolate chips
1 c Heavy cream
Soak raisins overnight in rum. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 5-inch
heart-shaped pans, line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the
parchment. In a small stainless steel bowl over simmering water, melt
chocolate with 2 tablespoons water. Stir in butter, a tablespoon at a time,
and whisk until smooth. Remove bowl from heat. Combine egg yolks and sugar
in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until thick and creamy. Stir in
chocolate mixture. Add flour and almonds and stir to combine. Gently mix in
raisins and whisky or rum. Beat egg whites with salt until stiff but not
dry. Gently fold into chocolate mixture in three additions. Pour batter
evenly into prepared pans. Bake cakes in middle of oven for 50 minutes, or
until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and cakes are just
beginning to shrink from the sides of the pan. Let cakes cool for at least
20 minutes in their pans before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.
Make the Chocolate Ganache: Place chocolate in a medium-size heatproof
bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil and pour over chocolate.
Let stand for 2 minutes and whisk until smooth. If chocolate isn’t
completely melted, place the bowl over simmering water briefly and mix
until smooth. (Makes 1-1/2 cups) Remove parchment paper. With cakes
remaining face-down on cooling racks, place racks over a parchment-covered
baking sheet. Pour one-quarter of the ganache over the top of each cake,
smoothing the top and sides with a spatula. Chill in refrigerator until
set, about 1 hour. Place remaining bowl of ganache over gently simmering
water to bring it back to a pourable consistency, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour over each cake smoothing the top and sides. Let stand for at least 10
minutes to set before removing cakes from cooling racks, using a large
offset spatula. Serve at room temperature. Makes two 5-inch heart-shaped
cakes.
Yields
1 servings