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| chocolate + cardiac arrest - o(p) = chocollardiac arrest |
The bottom layer is devil's food cake. No big deal there. Nothing to see here. Move along.
The next layer is a dark chocolate mousse, so rich and exquisite that you will be forced to eat slowly and savor every moment. Be warned: the mousses require 10 separated eggs, 2 cups of heavy cream, and 3/2 sticks of butter. This cake is not for the weak, hence the name "chocollardiac arrest."
On top of the dark chocolate mousse is a lighter chocolate mousse. Still delicious and creamy like the dark chocolate mousse, but the lightness offsets the intensity of the dark chocolate mousse. If you skip this layer, you will simply have a cake of three ridiculously chocolatey layers. You need to have the voice of reason, even if it is a bit dissenting.
The fourth layer is a chocolate shell. OMG ganache. The primary ingredients are dark chocolate and heavy cream. This layer ends up being almost fudgy because it is so viscous, so adjust the thickness if you want more or less of this craziness.
I actually could have made even MORE layers, but the cake was just getting too preposterous. Enough was enough. See Food Network's Chocolate Issue if you want to include the unnecessary toppers, or just use creativity and common sense. What would taste good on top? I think mint chocolate chip ice cream would be awesome along with whipped cream, or maybe even some juicy strawberries.
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| just a boring devil's food cake. yawn. |
Now it's time for layer number two. Set up a double boiler: add a couple of inches of water to a wide pot and start to heat it up on the stove on medium or medium low. Put a large metal or ovensafe glass bowl on top of the pot, making sure that the bowl does not touch the simmering water. You'll essentially be using the steam to heat the bottom of the bowl so that the bowl's contents heat up slowly and evenly.
Put 14 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli dark chocolate), 12 tablespoons of butter cut into smallish pieces, and half a cup of strong coffee into your double boiler bowl. Stir, stir, stir with a spatula until the mixture melts. Then, turn off the stove, remove the bowl from the heat, and continue the stir the mixture by hand for another 10 or 15 minutes to make sure that it stays smooth as it cools down. Yes, your arm will be tired, but it will be worth it in the end. Pain is temporary. Chocolate is forever.
Subsequently, plug up your sink, add cold water, and add a tray of ice. This is to prepare for the following step.
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| egg yolks whisked with sugar and a bit of water |
In another heatproof bowl, whisk 10 (yes TEN) egg yolks with 3/2 cups of sugar and two tablespoons of water. Return the water to a light boil, then set this bowl onto the saucepan. Again, your double boiler setup should ensure that the simmering water does not tough the actual bowl. Whisk your egg mixture for about seven minutes, then add the chocolate-butter contents of your first heat proofproof bowl. Also add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Whisk for another two minutes so that everything has combined smoothly. Then, turn off the double boiler and set the bowl into the sink of ice water. Being sure not to splash the sink water into the bowl, carefully whisk the contents of the bowl as it cools down for about 5 minutes.
In a third bowl, whisk the ten egg whites with half a teaspoon of salt until the egg whites create a foam. Then, throw in two tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat. Hopefully you have a handmixer. Once the eggs become a bit stiff, fold this into the dark chocolate mousse mixture (aka bowl two). Voila. Dark chocolate mousse! Get your cake out and spread five of these delectable cups on top of the cake. You have now finished layer two. Congratulations! Now go put the cake into the freezer! (Note that there will still be mousse left. Do not discard!)
Into a fourth bowl, beat 2 cups of wonderful heavy cream and four tablespoons of sugar. Once the beaters start creating soft peaks, you know you've beaten the mixture long enough. Again, I hope you have a hand mixer. (if you don't, you really should borrow one or have your body guards beat this for you) Fold the whipped creamy mixture into the leftover mousse from the previous paragraph. This is your light chocolate mousse. Pour all of this onto the frozen cake to create your third layer. Use a spatula to scrape out every little bit, and then lick your spatula clean and be happy. Cover the cake (the recipe suggests plastic wrap, but I used a plastic lid that fit my pyrex pan) and put it back in the freezer. Three cheers for progress! Now, rest for a few hours or a few days. Find a way to revive your energy so that you can finish your project!
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| heaven: heavy cream and dark chocolate |
After the first three layers, the fourth layer is easy. Set your double boiler up again. In the bowl, put half a cup of heavy cream, 6 ounces of dark or bittersweet chocolate, and two tablespoons of light corn syrup. Stir as the concoction melts, then turn off the heat and remove the bowl. Use a spatula to smoothly add a bit of ganache at a time to create a thin coating. Coat everywhere, then use whatever is left to thicken the shell. Once the chocolate is used up, recover and return the cake to the freezer.
The final step is to invite your friends come over to enjoy the delicious cake. To cut the cake, dip a large knife into hot water, dry the knife with a towel, and cut the cake. This should enable you to slide the knife through the cake easily for a few seconds, then you will need to reheat and rewipe the knife to make additional cuts. I pulled on the edges of the parchment paper in order to raise the piece of cake out of the pan, but you could also carefully invert the pan onto a clean flat surface in order to take the cake out entirely. Top with some whipped cream, mint chocolate chip ice cream, vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and/or fruits. Whatever your heart desires.
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| the final product: note the four scrumptious layers |