14 oz Best-quality bittersweet
-chocolate
6 tb Heavy cream
6 tb Unsalted butter, plus more
-for tins
5 lg Eggs, separated
10 tb Sugar
1/2 ts Vanilla
3/4 c Ground almonds
Confectioners’ sugar, for
-dusting (opt.)
1. To make ganache, chop 2 oz of the chocolate into small pieces and place
in small bowl. Pour cream into a small saucepan and heat until bubbles
appear around edge. Pour hot cream over chocolate, let stand several
minutes, and stir until smooth. Pour ganache into 6 squares of a plastic
ice-cube tray. Freeze until solid.
2. Butter six 3-inch metal baking rings and place on a parchment-lined
baking sheet; set aside.
3. Melt butter and remaining 12 oz chocolate in a heatproof bowl over
simmering water. Stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the
vanilla in bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until thick and pale yellow, 5
to 8 minutes. Add chocolate butter mixture and thoroughly combine. Fold in
ground almonds.
5. In a separate bowl, beat remaining 4 tablespoons sugar with the egg
whites until stiff. Fold into egg yolk-chocolate mixture. Spoon about 3 T
of batter into each ring. Remove frozen ganache cubes from freezer; you may
need to dip the bottom of the ice tray in hot water to get them out. Place
a cube in the center of each ring. Spoon remaining batter into rings, being
careful to keep ganache cubes in center and cover them completely. Freeze
filled molds until solid, about 1 hour.
6. Heat oven to 375′. Take baking sheet from a freezer. Wrap any cakes to
be saved and replace in freezer; leave the rest on sheet. Bake for 20 to 25
minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 to 10 minutes. To unmold, cover
one hand with a clean dish towel and pick cake up on a spatula with the
other. Invert cake into hand, pull off ring, then invert again onto a plate
and dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Serve immediately.
Martha Stewart Living/Feb. & March/94 Scanned & fixed by Di and Gary
Yields
6 Minicakes