For All You Chocolate Lovers........

[rhodry69]

Death By Chocolate


Simply The Best Chocolate Brownie Layer

4 Tbsps Plus 1 Tsp Unsalted Butter
¼ Cup Plus 1 Tsp Flour
2 Tbsps Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Salt
3 Oz Unsweetened Chocolate, Broken Into ½ -oz Pieces
2 Oz Semisweet Chocolate, Broken Into ½-oz Pieces
3 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
¼ Cup Sour Cream
4 Oz Chocolate Chunks


Preheat Oven To 325° F.

Coat A 9 X 1½ -inch Cake Pan With 1 Teaspoon Of Butter. Flour The Pan With 1 Teaspoon Of Flour, Shaking Out The Excess.

Sift Together ¼ Cup Flour, 2 Tablespoons Cocoa, 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder, And ½ Teaspoon Salt Onto Waxed Paper. Set Aside.

Heat 1-inch Of Water In The Bottom Half Of A Double Boiler Over Medium Heat. Place 3 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate, 4 Tablespoons Butter, And 2 Ounces Semisweet Chocolate In The Top Half Of The Double Boiler Tightly Cover Top With Film Wrap. Heat For 4½ - 5 Minutes, Remove From The Heat, And Stir Until Smooth.

Place 3 Eggs, 1 Cup Sugar, And 1 Teaspoon Vanilla In The Bowl Of An Electric Mixer Fitted With A Balloon Whip. Whisk On High Speed Until Slightly Thickened, About 1½ Minutes. Add The Melted Chocolate Mixture Into The Egg Mixture And Whisk On Medium For 30 Seconds. Add The Sifted Ingredients, Whisk On Low For 10 Seconds, Then On Medium For 10 Seconds. Add The Sour Cream And Whisk On Medium For 5 Seconds.

Remove The Bowl From The Mixer And Use A Rubber Spatula To Thoroughly Combine (also Add And Combine 4 Ounces Chocolate Chunks ).

Pour The Brownie Batter Into The Prepared Cake Pan, Spreading Evenly. Bake The Brownie For 30 Minutes, Until Toothpick Inserted In The Centre Comes Out Clean. Allow To Cool In The Pan At Room Temperature For 5 Minutes. Turn Out Onto A Cake Circle And Refrigerate For 15 To 20 Minutes. Remove The Brownie From The Refrigerator And Cut In Half Horizontally. Keep The Brownie At Room Temperature Until Needed.

Chocolate Ganache

1½ Cups Heavy Cream
3 Tbsps Unsalted Butter
22 Oz Semisweet Chocolate, Broken Into ½-oz Pieces

Heat 1½ Cups Heavy Cream And 3 Tablespoons Of Butter In A 2½ Quart Saucepan Over Medium High Heat. Bring To A Boil. Place 22 Ounces Of Semisweet Chocolate In A Stainless-steel Bowl. Pour The Boiling Cream Over The Chocolate And Allow To Stand For 5 Minutes. Stir Until Smooth. Keep At Room Temperature Until Needed.


Cocoa Meringue


4 Egg Whites
1/8 Tsp Cream Of Tartar
½ Tsp Salt
1¼ Cups Sugar
2 Tbsps Unsweetened Cocoa, Sifted
1 Tbsp Cornstarch


Preheat Oven To 225°f.

Using A 9-inch Cake Circle As A Guide, With A Pencil Trace A Circle On A Sheet Parchment Paper Cut To Fit A Baking Sheet. Turn The Paper Over And With Trace Mark Down, Place On A Baking Sheet.

Place 4 Egg Whites, 1/8 Teaspoon Cream Of Tartar, And 1/8 Teaspoon Salt In The Bowl Of An Electric Mixer Fitted With A Balloon Whip. Whisk On High Speed Until Soft Peeks Form, About 45 To 50 Seconds. Gradually Add 1 Cup Sugar While Continuing To Whisk On High Speed. Whisk Until Stiff About 1½ Minutes. Remove The Bowl From The Mixer And Use A Rubber Spatula To Fold In And Thoroughly Combine The Remaining 1/4 Cup Sugar, 2 Tablespoons Cocoa, And 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch. Fill A Pastry Bag (with No Tip) With Cocoa Meringue. Fill The Traced Circle With Meringue: Start In The Centre And Pipe A ¾-inch Wide Spiral Towards The Outside Of The Circle. Place The Meringue In The Preheated Oven And Bake For 15 Minutes. Reduce Heat To 200°f. And Bake For 2 Hours And 45 Minutes. Remove From The Oven And Allow The Cocoa Meringue To Cool On Baking Sheet For 45 Minutes Before Handling. Adjust The Oven Temperature To 325°f.


Mocha Mousse

14 Oz Semisweet Chocolate, Broken Into ½-oz Pieces
4 Oz Unsweetened Chocolate, Broken Into ½-oz Pieces
½ Cup Water
4 Tbsps Instant Coffee
2 Tbsps Cocoa, Sifted
5 Egg Whites
2 Tbsps Sugar
¾ Cup Heavy Cream

Heat 1-inch Of Water In The Bottom Half Of A Double Boiler Over Medium High Heat. Place 14 Ounces Semisweet Chocolate, 4 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate, ½ Cup Water, 4 Tablespoons Of Instant Coffee, And 2 Tablespoons Cocoa In The Top Half Of The Double Boiler. Tightly Cover The Top With Film Wrap. Heat For 6 - 7 Minutes, Remove The Film Wrap, And Stir The Mixture Until Smooth. Keep At Room Temperature Until Needed.

Place Egg Whites In The Bowl Of An Electric Mixer Fitted With A Balloon Whip. Whisk On High Speed Until Soft Peaks Form, About 1 Minute. Continue To Whisk While Gradually Adding 2 Tablespoons Of Sugar. Whisk Until Stiff, About 30 Seconds.

Whip ¾ Cup Heavy Cream In A Well-chilled Stainless-steel Bowl Until Stiff. Fold ¼ Of The Egg Whites Into The Melted Chocolate Mixture, Then Fold In The Whipped Cream Now Fold In The Remaining Egg Whites. Hold The Mocha Mousse At Room Temperature.


Chocolate Mousse

6 Oz Semisweet Chocolate, Broken Into 1/2-ounce Pieces
1½ Cups Heavy Cream
3 Egg Whites
2 Tbsp Sugar


While The Meringue Is Baking, Prepare The Chocolate Mousse.

Heat 1-inch Of Water In The Bottom Half Of A Double Boiler Over Medium Heat. Place 6-ounces Of Semisweet Chocolate In The Top Half Of The Double Boiler. Tightly Cover The Top With Film Wrap. Allow The Chocolate To Melt Slowly, About 9 To 10 Minutes. Remove From The Heat And Stir Until Smooth Keep At Room Temperature Until Needed.

Place 1½ Cups Heavy Whipping Cream In The Well-chilled Bowl Of An Electric Mixer Fitted With A Well-chilled Balloon Whip. Whisk On High Speed Until Peaks Form, About 1 Minute. Set Aside For A Few Minutes Until Needed.

Whisk 3 Egg Whites In A Large Stainless-steel Bowl, Until Soft Peaks Form, About 3 Minutes. Add 2 Tablespoons Sugar And Continue To Whisk Until Stiff Peaks Form, About 2 To 2½ Minutes. Add A ¼ Of The Whipped Cream To The Chocolate And Whisk Quickly, Vigorously, And Thoroughly, Then Add To The Egg Whites. Now Add The Remaining Whipped Cream. Fold All Together Gently But Thoroughly. Refrigerate The Chocolate Mousse Until Needed.


Mocha Rum Sauce

6 Oz Unsalted Butter
1 1/3 Cups Sugar
1 1/3 Cups Heavy Cream
8 Tbsps Unsweetened Cocoa, Sifted
3 Tbsps Dark Rum
¼ Tsp Salt
4 Tsps Instant Coffee
1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract


Heat The Butter In A 2½ 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.



Assembly Of Death By Chocolate

Place A Closed 9 X 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.

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 Centre Of Each Plate. Serve Immediately.