Chocolate Crepe Cake With Salted Chocolate Orange Sauce Food

SALTED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the inside of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter that as well. Dust with cocoa powder, being sure to tap out the excess. Set aside.
• Whisk together the cocoa, flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until there are no large lumps. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, melted butter, sour cream, instant espresso and 1 1/2 cups water. Slowly start to work everything together, adding the dry to the wet ingredients as you go until everything is combined and you have a smooth batter. Do not over mix. Divide evenly in the prepared cake pans and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Unmold onto a wire rack and cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the butter in a medium bowl on medium speed using a hand-held mixer until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla and kosher salt and continue to beat on medium speed until light, fluffy and creamy.
• Place one layer of cake on a plate or cake stand. Spread one-quarter of the frosting on the cake evenly all the way to the sides using a small offset spatula. Place the other layer of cake on top and press gently. Spoon the remaining frosting on top and spread evenly, pushing the frosting over the edge and spreading it around the sides. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the top evenly with the flake salt to serve.

DARKEST CHOCOLATE CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• Bring 1/4 cup water to a rolling boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking to combine after each addition. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until completely melted. Set aside.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla in another medium bowl. Gradually add milk mixture to flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Add chocolate-butter mixture, whisking until smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard lumps. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Lightly coat an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet with melted butter. Heat over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Remove pan from heat; pour about 2 tablespoons batter into pan, swirling to cover bottom. Reduce heat to medium-low; return pan to heat. Cook, flipping once, until edges are golden and center is dry, about 30 seconds per side.
• Slide crepe onto a plate. Repeat process with remaining batter, coating pan with butter as needed. Crepes can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day.
• Place a crepe on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Spread with about 3 tablespoons hazelnut filling. Top with another crepe. Continue layering with hazelnut filling and crepes, using about 32 crepes and ending with a crepe on top. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Spoon 1/2 cup glaze on top of the cake, spreading to edges. Spread remaining glaze around sides of cake, coating completely. Refrigerate until glaze is firm and set, about 20 minutes. Cake can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Garnish with toasted and candied hazelnuts.

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL

Steps:

• Make the ganache: Heat the heavy cream, chocolate and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water), stirring, until the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the marmalade. Refrigerate until thick but not set, 1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes.
• Assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on a platter; spread with 1 tablespoon marmalade. Beat the chilled ganache with a mixer on medium-low speed until just fluffy, about 1 minute (do not overbeat). Spread 1 heaping cup of the whipped ganache over the marmalade. Top with the second cake layer. Cover the whole cake with the remaining whipped ganache and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Make the caramel: Bring the sugar and corn syrup to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the mixture turns amber, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream and butter until smooth. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until cool but still pourable, 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle over the cake and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve the cake within 2 hours; slice with a warm knife.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Whisk the cocoa powder and 1 1/2 cups boiling water in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the cocoa mixture in a steady stream until just combined, then finish mixing with a rubber spatula. (The batter will be thin.)
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and tap the pans against the counter to help the batter settle. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

CHOCOLATE CREPE CAKE WITH SALTED CHOCOLATE ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix milk, flour, cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, eggs, vanilla and Diamond Crystal® Kosher Salt in a large mixing bowl until smooth and well blended.
• Melt about 1/3 teaspoon of the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add about 1/4 cup of the batter to the skillet; tilt pan with a circular motion to evenly distribute batter. Cook until bubbles appear and the surface looks dull. Turn the crepe and cook on the other side approximately 1 minute. Place crepe on a plate. Repeat for the remaining crepes, separating them with a layer of waxed paper to prevent them from sticking to each other. Batter is enough to make about 16 crepes.
• For Chocolate Orange Sauce, place the cream into a medium pan and heat until very warm. Remove pan from heat. Add chocolate and stir until combined and silky. Add orange juice concentrate, vanilla, sugar and Diamond Crystal® Kosher Salt; stir until thoroughly mixed.
• Whip 2 cups whipping cream in a bowl until stiff.
• To assemble the cake, place a crepe on a serving plate. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream onto crepe; top with another crepe. Continue layering whipped cream and crepes, ending with an unfrosted crepe. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up the cake before serving.
• To serve, spoon about 4 tablespoons of sauce on a dessert plate in a small circle. Slice cake into wedges. Place a wedge of cake on top of the chocolate orange sauce.
• Optional garnishes: Peeled orange sections, mint sprigs, or shaved chocolate.

CHOCOLATE CREPES WITH TANGERINES AND CHOCOLATE-ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• For Crepes.
• Melt butter and chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water; stir until smooth. then cool slightly.
• Sift flour,sugar,cocoa and salt into large bowl.
• Make a well in the center and add eggs;mix until smooth.
• Whisk in milk, melted chocolate and vanilla; cover and refrigerate 3 hours.
• Remove peel and white pith from tangerines.
• Working over a large bowl to catch juice, cut between membranes with a small sharp knife to release segments; add to juices and mix in liqueur.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• Can be prepare 1 day ahead.
• Stir batter gently.
• Heat crepe pan with 5-inch diameter bottom over medium-high heat; brush lightly with melted butter.
• Remove pan from heat; stir batter and ladle 3 tablespoons into corner of pan, tilting so batter just coats bottom.
• Cook crepes until bottom is brown,about 1 minute.
• Turn crepe and cook until second side is speckled brown, about 30 seconds.
• Slide out onto plate;repeat with remaining batter, stirring occasionally.
• Adjust heat and add more butter to pan as necessary.
• Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil and refrigerate.
• Reheat crepes 1 at a time in crepe pan over low heat 5 seconds per side.
• Spoon sauce onto each plate.
• Fold crepes in fourths and arrange 2 crepes on each plate.
• Drain tangerines and place alongside.
• Drizzle crepes with sauce and serve.
• Chocolate-Orange Sauce.
• Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water; stir until smooth.
• Gradually mix in cream,tangerine marinade and orange peel; stir until heated through.
• Thin with more cream if desired.
• Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm sauce over low heat before serving.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLé CAKE WITH ORANGE CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Put a small roasting pan filled halfway with hot water in bottom third of oven (to provide moisture during baking), then preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan and line bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper. Butter paper.
• Melt butter and chocolate together in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, then remove from heat. Beat together yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, and ribbons form when beater is lifted, about 6 minutes. Beat whites at medium speed with cleaned beaters in another large bowl until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until whites just hold stiff peaks. Stir warm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture until combined well. Stir one fourth of egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining egg whites gently but thoroughly.
• Pour batter into springform pan and bake in middle of oven (do not place springform pan in pan of hot water) until a tester inserted in center comes out with crumbs adhering, about 1 hour (a crust will form and crack on top of cake as it bakes). Transfer to a rack and cool 10 minutes (cake will "deflate" as it cools). Run a thin knife carefully around edge of cake, then remove side of pan. Cool cake on bottom of pan 30 minutes, then invert onto another rack or plate. Remove bottom of pan, then carefully peel off parchment. Invert cake onto a serving plate.
• Make sauce while cake bakes:
• Remove zest from 2 oranges and trim any white pith from zest. Cut zest into enough very thin strips to measure 1/4 cup. Squeeze juice from 3 oranges and strain through a fine sieve. Measure out 1 cup juice.
• Cook remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a dry heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted into a deep golden caramel. Add zest and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Tilt pan and carefully pour in juice (caramel will harden and steam vigorously). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved, then cool sauce.
• Serve cake with orange sauce.