Dark & Rich Chocolate-Cranberry Cake

As I was making this cake I was unsure of how popular it would be or even if anyone would like it at all. I made a second dessert to be on the safe side. As it turned out everyone loved the cake. It is a very rich and heavy cake though so a sliver is all anyone needs. Next time I make this cake I am going to experiment with a different kind of filling. I was thinking raspberry or mint would be really good. I found the recipe in a Women's Day magazine and it can also be found on their website. I pretty much followed the recipe. They did suggest frosting the sides of the cake first but since the chocolate is warm and melted I decided to waste less and do the top first. I had the cake on wax paper to frost it. Once the chocolate was cold and hardened I cut around the bottom of the cake with a knife to release it from the wax paper. It was super simple to transfer it to the plate because this cake is so dense and heavy.

INGREDIENTS

Cake
8 oz quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup sugar
5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Cranberry Filling
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Glaze
6 oz quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 Tbsp orange liqueur or dark rum

PREPARATION

1. Cake: Heat oven to 350°F. Grease sides of a 9 x 2-in. round pan or springform pan with baking spray; line bottom of pan with parchment. Melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth and emulsified; remove from heat. Whisk in 1⁄3 cup of the sugar, the egg yolks, flour, vanilla and salt until thick and smooth.

2. In large bowl of stand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy; add cream of tartar and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1⁄3 cup sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff yet billowy peaks form when beaters are lifted. Stir about 1 cup of the whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen, then gently fold in remaining whites until evenly blended. Spread into prepared pan.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a pick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; invert onto small wire rack and remove parchment. Cool completely (as cake cools, the center will sink slightly).

4. Filling: While cake bakes, bring filling ingredients to a full boil in a medium saucepan; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and scrape mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl; discard skins and seeds. Whisk the jelly smooth. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of jelly and let cool to room temperature.

5. Spread jelly over top of cake in an even layer. Refrigerate cake (keep it on the wire rack) until jelly firms up.

6. Glaze: Combine chocolate, butter and corn syrup in small saucepan over low heat. Stir gently until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in liqueur. Remove cake from refrigerator and place over a sheet of wax paper. Using a small metal spatula, spread sides and top of cake with a thin layer of the glaze to cover. Rewarm remaining glaze, then pour it over the top of the cake, allowing it to run off and coat the cake in an even, shiny layer (if there are any bare spots, use runoff glaze from wax paper to patch them). Refrigerate to set glaze. Transfer cake to a serving plate.

7. To serve: Let cake stand at room temperature at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish top with sugared cranberries and mint sprig, if desired.

Note: Cake can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.