All Cakes Considered - Melissa Gray [82]
And it’s not truly time-consuming; it’s just one of those cakes where time management is needed. My best advice: pick a weekend day to make this cake. The night before, make the mint syrup and set it aside. The next morning, while having your coffee, make the ganache and set it aside. Go about your usual activities, stopping every so often in the kitchen to stir the ganache. About midafternoon return to the kitchen and make the cake. As soon as the cake goes in the oven, make the chocolate fudge sauce. Don’t forget to stir the ganache in between.
By late afternoon, the cake should be cool enough to frost with the ganache.
Now, I can hear your question: “What’s a ganache?” (That’s ga-nosh.) It’s a French word that translates literally as “jowl”, and why they use it to describe a simple mixture of chocolate and dairy ingredients is beyond me. Maybe you develop jowls from eating ganache all the time. It’s possible. A ganache is used as an icing or filling for any number of desserts and pastries, and quite Franc-ly, I prefer it over traditional, more sugary icings.
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YOU’LL NEED
2 small saucepans
A food processor
A bottle (with lid) for the syrup
A finemesh strainer
A heavy saucepan
A medium strainer
A 9-inch springform pan
A double boiler, real or improvised
A whisk attachment and extra bowl for mixer
A bottle or jar (with lid) for the fudge sauce
FOR THE MINT SYRUP
2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
1¼ cups sugar
¾ cup water
FOR THE GANACHE
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
FOR THE CAKE
14 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
6 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces small peppermint pattie candies
FOR THE CHOCOLATE FUDGE SAUCE (SEE TIP)
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
½ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
⅓ cup sifted unsweetened cocoa
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR SERVING
Ice cream or sweetened whipped cream (homemade or in a can)
Tip: You can make the fudge sauce up to a week in advance and store in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for future use.
TO MAKE THE MINT SYRUP (THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR CAKE)
1. Rinse your mint leaves and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for several minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
3. Fill a small bowl with ice and water and put it near the stove.
4. Fill another saucepan about halfway with water and bring to a boil. Put the mint leaves in the water and blanch until they are just wilted, about 10 seconds. IMMEDIATELY strain the mint and plunge the leaves in that bowl of ice water. This sets the color. Strain the leaves one more time, then blot with paper towels.
5. In the food processor, combine the mint leaves and half the syrup. Puree the mint, stopping several times to scrape down the sides of the processor (puree is basically processing until nearly liquefied). Add the remaining syrup and puree for 2 more minutes.
6. Transfer the syrup to a clean storage container and allow to sit overnight, covered, at room temperature.
IN THE A.M.
7. Strain the syrup though a finemesh strainer and discard the solid parts. You can store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Make sure to shake before using.
TO MAKE THE GANACHE (ALSO IN THE A.M.)
8. In a food processor, finely chop your chocolate, baby.
9. Heat the cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan to just under a boil.
Add the chocolate, stirring constantly