Il Falconiere Steamed Chocolate Cake With Vanilla Sauce Food

ALMOST-FAMOUS MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the cakes: Brush four 1 1/4-cup brioche molds (or use 10-ounce ramekins or jumbo muffin cups) with the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Dust the molds with cocoa powder and tap out the excess.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Bring the milk and 3/4 cup water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat; set aside.
• Combine the vegetable oil, 4 tablespoons room-temperature butter and the sugar in a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl and beater as needed. Add 1/2 cup cocoa powder and the vanilla; beat 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl. Add 1 egg and beat 1 minute on medium-low speed, then add the remaining egg and beat 1 more minute.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture, then the hot milk mixture. Finish mixing the batter with a rubber spatula until combined. Divide the batter evenly among the molds, filling each slightly more than three-quarters of the way.
• Transfer the molds to a baking sheet and bake until the tops of the cakes are domed and the centers are just barely set, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack; let the cakes cool until they pull away from the molds, about 30 minutes.

IL FALCONIERE: STEAMED CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH VANILLA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Butter and flour 10 ramekins and set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar to a soft cream. Add eggs, beating them in one at a time. Add rum and coffee. Sift flour, baking powder, and cacao into a bowl, then incorporate this into the butter mixture. Gently fold in the pears, if using. Pour into the prepared ramekins, filling halfway. Bake in a bain-marie by placing ramekins in a baking dish and filling it halfway with boiling water. Bake for 10 minutes, then increase temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until set, about 15 minutes.
• Unmold onto individual plates or simply serve in the ramekins. Spoon vanilla sauce over the cakes, and garnish with curls of chocolate (use a vegetable peeler) or chocolate-covered coffee beans.
• Vanilla Sauce
• Heat the cream and vanilla pod to boiling, then quickly reduce heat. In a separate bowl, thoroughly beat together the yolks and sugar. Using a wooden spoon, stir the eggs into the cream and continue cooking on low, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, until mixture slightly thickens and coats the spoon.

CHOCOLATE CAKE W/ VANILLA SAUCE

Steps:

• Cake: Heat over to 375 F degrees.
• Cream the sugar and eggs together.
• Add milk, butter and vanilla.
• Sift dry ingredients& add to the dry mixture.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Bake in a 9" x 9" or a small bundt cake pan, for 25 minutes.
• Filling: Melt butter in medium saucepan.
• Remove from heat.
• Add remaining ingredients, mixing well.
• Simmer, stirring over low heat about 5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved.
• Serve hot over pudding or cake.