Tarte au Chocolat ▶
Rich chocolate cake is iced with chocolate ganache and — a surprising touch — served in a pool of cranberry sauce. Not raspberry, but cranberry. Chef Cretier calls for orange-flavored chocolate. The orange flavor is very subtle: you may substitute semi-sweet chocolate by adding grated orange zest when you melt the chocolate, then straining the zest out after the chocolate is melted.
Ingredients
- Cake
- Orange-flavored chocolate - 3-1/2 ounces (alt. semi-sweet chocolate, and grated zest of 1/2 orange)
- Unsalted Butter - 3-1/2 ounces (1 stick minus 1 tablespoon)
- Flour - 1/3 cup
- Sugar - 3/4 cup
- Eggs - 3
- Frosting
- Orange-flavored chocolate - 1-1/2 ounces (alt. semi-sweet chocolate, and grated zest of 1/2 orange)
- Bittersweet Chocolate - 1-1/2 ounces
- Unsalted Butter - 2 teaspoons
- Heavy (Whipping) Cream - 1/3 cup
- Cranberry Sauce
- Orange Juice - 1 cup
- Water - 1/2 cup
- Cranberries - 6 ounces, whole, fresh
- Sugar - 1/2 cup
- Grated Zest - 1/2 orange
- Cocoa Powder for Dusting
- Confectioner’s Sugar for Dusting
Instructions
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter and lightly flour an 8-inch round cake pan. In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate. Add the butter and gently whisk or stir together. In a separate bowl, beat the flour, sugar, and eggs until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Fold in the chocolate mixture and pour into the prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes; turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To make the frosting: In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolates. Add the butter and gently whisk or stir together. In another saucepan, bring the cream just to a boil. Stir into the chocolate and blend until thick and creamy. Spread over the top and sides of the cake. Let stand at least 1 hour in a cool room to set.
To make the sauce: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Puree in a food processor; strain and refrigerate.
To serve: Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder. Cut into 8 to 10 slices and place one on each dessert plate. Dust the cakes lightly with confectioner’s sugar. Spoon cranberry sauce around each cake slice.
