Death By Hot Chocolate Food

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Special equipment: 1 (12 to 16 cup) glass trifle bowl or 12 to 16 individual small trifle bowls
• Whip the cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Whip in the almond extract and confectioners'sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over whip, the cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.
• When completely cool, use your hands to crumble the brownies into smaller pieces. In a glass trifle bowl, layer in the following order: crumbled brownies, about 1 1/2 cups pudding, 1 1/2 crumbled toffee bars, about 1 3/4 cups whipped cream. Repeat the layers in the same order. Save the last 2 toffee bars to crumble and sprinkle on top before serving.
• For individual small trifle bowls, layer in the following order: crumbled brownie, pudding, crushed chocolate covered toffee bars and whipped cream.
• Garnish with more crumbled toffee bars. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
• For your brownie batter, melt your butter in a medium (or large) heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water.
• While the butter is melting, whisk your natural cocoa powder, sea salt and sugar in a separate bowl. (The sugar and salt will work as abrasive agents to get any lumps out of the cocoa.) Whisk the cocoa/sugar/salt combo into the melted butter. Continue to whisk the ingredients together in the bowl over the simmering water until the sugar has dissolved fully. The mixture should look like fudge and pull away from the bowl into a ball. Remove from the heat and set on a dishtowel on your counter, and allow the fudgy mixture to cool down until it's warm, but not hot anymore.
• While that is cooling, line the bottom and sides of your 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil. You want to leave about 4 inches of overhang on the 2 opposite sides. These serve as your handles to remove the brownies from the pan in 1 piece, so make sure that there is enough of the overhang for you to have a solid grip. Grease the parchment or foil well.
• Stir in the vanilla into the cooled fudge mixture to loosen it up. Add the eggs into the mixture 1 at a time, adding the second egg after the first egg is fully incorporated. The batter should look shiny and well blended. Add in your flour and stir it until it's fully incorporated. Once it looks fully blended, beat the batter vigorously for at least 45 strokes. This'll not only get out any pent up stress, but it will make the brownies chewy. Fold in your chocolate chips. Spread the very thick and fudgy brownie batter evenly in the lined pan with an offset spatula or your greased hands.
• Pop the brownies in the oven and bake until they get a nice crust and your house smells like brownies, 30 to 35 minutes. Let them cool completely on a rack or a dishtowel on your counter.
• Whisk the sugar, cocoa powder and flour in a bowl until there are no lumps. Crack the eggs into the bowl, add the yolks and whisk into a paste. Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk until fully incorporated. Then whisk in the remaining 1 cup milk. Put the milk mixture into a saucepan and put over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it starts to look like pudding. It will begin to bubble and it will hold soft peaks when you lift the whisk out. Take off the heat and cool to room temperature.
• Cook's Note: To prevent a skin from forming, cover the pudding with plastic wrap, pressing down directly on the surface of the pudding. Poke a few holes throughout to allow to cool to room temperature.

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE: ASSEMBLE DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Place a closed 9 by 3-inch spring-form pan on a baking sheet. Set the top half of the chocolate brownie inside the pan top side up. Ladle 1 1/2 cups of ganache into the pan over the chocolate brownie. Trim the cocoa meringue with a serrated knife so that it will fit tightly into the pan. Place the trimmed cocoa meringue, top side up, inside the pan on top of the ganache, pressing down gently on the cocoa meringue to eliminate air pockets.
• Spoon the mocha mousse on top of the cocoa meringue spreading evenly. Place the remaining chocolate brownie half, bottom side up, on top of the mocha mousse. Chill the cake in freezer for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove from the freezer and cut around the edges to release from the spring-form pan. Pour the remaining ganache over the cake and use a cake spatula to spread the ganache evenly over the and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the ganache.
• Fill a pastry bag with a star tip with the chocolate mousse. Pipe a circle of stars (each touching the other) along the outside edge of the top of the cake. Continue to pipe out circle of stars until the top of the cake is covered. Refrigerate the Death By Chocolate for at least 4 hours and preferably 12 hours before cutting and serving.
• Heat the butter in a 2 1/2 quart saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add the sugar, heavy cream, sifted cocoa, 2 tablespoons dark rum, and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the instant coffee and vanilla extract and remaining tablespoon of rum, stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
• To serve, cut the Death By Chocolate into the desired number of servings. Heat the blade of a serrated slicer under hot running water before slicing into the cake. Repeat this procedure after making each slice. Flood the base of each 10-inch dinner plate with 3 to 4 tablespoons mocha rum sauce and place a piece of Death By Chocolate in the center of each plate. Serve immediately.

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• In a blender, add Smirnoff No.21 Vodka, Baileys Original Irish Cream, Godiva Original Liqueur, ice cream, and puree briefly. Add ice. Blend until smooth, pour into a hurricane glass and garnish with chocolate shavings.;

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE OVERDOSE CAKE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees.
• For the Brownie Base Layer:.
• Cut parchment paper to fit bottom of a 9-inch springform pan & spray with cooking spray.
• Whisk to combine flour, salt, & baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.
• In microwave-safe bowl heat butter & chocolate on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments until melted; do not let chocolate burn.
• When chocolate mixture is smooth gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, whisking after each until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in two additions, folding with spatula until batter is completely smooth and mixed.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan; using a spatula to spread batter evenly and smooth. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 25-30 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour (do not remove the springform ring).
• For the Cake Layer:.
• Line bottom of 9-inch round cake pan with parchment & spray with cooking spray.
• Combine chocolate, cocoa powder, & hot water in a medium microwave-safe bowl & heat until melted; about 45 seconds. If needed, heat in additional 15 second intervals until melted. (Do not burn) Add 1/4 cup sugar to chocolate mixture and stir until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in small bowl and set aside.
• In bowl whisk eggs and yolks on medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds. Add remaining sugar, increase speed to high, and whisk until fluffy and lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add cooled chocolate mixture to egg/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until thoroughly mixed, 30 to 45 seconds, scrape down sides of bowl with spatula as needed. Add softened butter 1T. at a time, mixing about 10 seconds after each addition. Add about 1/3 of flour mixture followed by 1/2 of buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds).
• Repeat using 1/2 of remaining flour mixture & all of remaining buttermilk mixture (batter may appear separated). Scrape down sides of bowl & add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer & fold batter once or twice with spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Pour into prepared pan & smooth.
• Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 30 - 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack and cool completely.
• Chocolate Mousse Filling:.
• Place stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer or fridge.
• Chop the chocolate and place in medium bowl. Heat 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in microwave-safe cup until it begins to boil. Pour hot cream into bowl with chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
• Once chocolate mixture is cooled, place remaining heavy cream(1 1/4 cup plus 2 T) and sugar in the well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a well-chilled whisk attachment. Whisk on high until stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
• Gently fold in chocolate mixture with the whipped cream mixture.
• Ganache:.
• Heat the heavy cream and the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring to a boil.
• Place the chopped semisweet chocolate in a 3-quart stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Ganache should be brought to room temperature (about 40 minutes). There will be ganache left-over after icing cake. You could chill about 1 cup to use for additional decorating if desired.
• To Assemble:.
• Spread mousse over top of the brownie base evenly. Use an offset spatula or bench scraper to smooth the top.
• Place cake round over mousse, pressing down lightly. Chill for 1 hour.
• Remove springform ring and parchment collar. Use a spatula to smooth the room temperature ganache over the cake top and sides, covering evenly.
• Decorate with chocolate shavings on the sides if desired and with the additional chilled ganache if desired.