Chocolate-Chile Cake
Inspiration here comes from my many Mexican friends who add chocolate to savory dishes. I thought I’ d return the favor and add chiles to dessert. This frozen chocolate cake has a gentle heat, tamed by the chocolate and its hidden apricot center.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8
Ingredients
For the Chile Syrup
For the Apricots
For the Cake
For the Streusel
To Serve
Preparation
For the Chile Syrup
Step 1
Combine the water, sugar, chiles, vanilla seeds and pod, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and infuse overnight. Strain before using.
For the Apricots
Step 2
Pit the apricots and cut into 1-inch chunks.
Step 3
Warm a sauté pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add a slick of chile syrup and the apricots. Cook, tossing, until the apricots are barely tender. Add the butter and shake the pan until the butter melts and coats the fruit. Add a pinch of salt. Transfer to a strainer set over a bowl and let cool.
For the Cake
Step 4
Put eight 2 x 2-inch ring molds on a small baking pan and freeze them while you make the chocolate mousse.
Step 5
Put the egg yolks in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk and beat at medium speed.
Step 6
Heat the chile syrup in a saucepan to 250°F. Pour the syrup into the beating yolks, avoiding the whisk and the sides of the bowl. Crank the mixer up to high and beat until the bowl is cool to the touch.
Step 7
Whip the cream to medium peaks in a large bowl.
Step 8
Melt the chocolates in a glass bowl in 30-second spurts in the microwave, or melt in a double boiler. After each spurt, let the chocolate sit for a minute or so, then stir it with a heatproof rubber scraper. Let the chocolate cool to 113°F.
Step 9
Fold the yolk mixture into the cream, then fold in the chocolate.
Step 10
Fill a pastry bag with the chocolate mousse and pipe into the molds, filling them about two-thirds full. Use the back of a small spoon to make a well in the center of each ring and bring the mousse up the sides to the top. Fill the centers with the apricots and top with more mousse to fill the molds. Level off the tops. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
For the Streusel
Step 11
Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat at medium-high speed until creamy.
Step 12
Whisk the flour and baking powder together and add to the butter mixture. Mix at low speed until crumbly. Form into a brick, wrap in plastic, and freeze overnight.
Step 13
Heat the oven to 375°F or 350°F on convection. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment and set eight 2 1/2-inch tart rings on it.
Step 14
Grate the streusel on the big holes of a box grater. Put a thin layer, about 1/4 inch, in the bottom of each ring and press it down so it will stick together. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Let cool completely.
To Serve
Step 15
Glaze the tops of the cakes with a thin layer of the ganache. When the ganache sets, rub the rings briskly between your hands and unmold the cakes, pushing them out carefully.
Step 16
Cut 2-inch rounds of the devil’s food cake to match the size of the chocolate-chile cakes.
Step 17
Place a round of streusel on each dessert plate. Top with the devil’s food and then with the chocolate-chile cake.
Step 18
Garnish with a drizzle of chile syrup and some chile seeds, if you want.
make it simple
Step 19
Though you won’t get the same results, you could replace the apricots with all-fruit apricot preserves. Doctor them up with some salt, a hit of lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of cayenne.
