Rose's Heavenly Cakes (67 page)

Plan Ahead

Make the optional ganache plugs, if using, 1 hour ahead.

Special Equipment

Financier mold(s), preferably silicone, 3 by 1 by 1¼ inches high (¼ cup/2 fluid ounces capacity), coated with baking spray with flour. If using silicone, set it on a wire rack and then on a baking sheet.    |    Pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch round decorating tip (number 12; optional)

Preheat the Oven

Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C.

Toast the Pecans

Place the pecans evenly on a baking sheet and bake them, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, to enhance their flavor. Stir once or twice to ensure even toasting and avoid overbrowning. Cool completely.

Melt the Butter and Chocolate

In the top of a double boiler over hot water, heat the butter and chocolate, stirring often, until melted. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.

Make the Batter: Mixer Method

In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the melted chocolate mixture with the cocoa and sugar on medium speed until incorporated. Beat in the eggs and vanilla for about 30 seconds. The mixture will become thick and glossy. Beat in the cream cheese until only small bits remain. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed only until all the flour is moistened, about 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pecans and mix for 3 seconds.

Make the Batter: Hand Method

In the bowl containing the melted chocolate mixture, whisk in the cocoa and then the sugar until incorporated. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until the mixture becomes thick and glossy. With a blending fork or wooden spoon, stir in the cream cheese until only small bits remain. Stir in the flour and salt only until all the flour is moistened. Stir in the pecans.

Fill the Molds: Both Methods

Scrape the batter into a pastry bag, if using, or a freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. (You can use a spoon, but it's a lot faster and easier to use a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag with one corner cut.)

Pipe the batter into the cavities, filling them about three-quarters full (1.5 ounces/45 grams in each). Smooth the tops with a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon.

Bake the Brownies

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the batter has set. An instant-read thermometer should register about 194°F/90°C and the cakes spring back when pressed lightly in the centers. The batter will puff and rise a little above the top of the cavities, but sinks slightly on cooling.

Make the Ganache Plugs

Heat the chocolate until almost completely melted. Use a small microwavable bowl, stirring with a silicone spatula every 15 seconds (or use the top of a double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water, stirring often—do not let the bottom of the container touch the water). Remove the chocolate from the heat and, with the silicone spatula, stir until fully melted.

In a 1-cup heatproof glass measure in a microwave or small saucepan, heat the cream, stirring often until warm (110°F/43°C). (Don't worry if it's hotter; it will just take longer for the ganache to cool and thicken to piping consistency.) With a silicone spatula, gradually stir the cream into the melted chocolate until uniform in color.

Allow the ganache to thicken to a soft, pipable consistency (about 72°F/22°C) for about 30 minutes at cool room temperature. If cooling longer, cover it tightly to prevent evaporation. You can speed thickening by placing the ganache in the refrigerator and stirring gently every 10 minutes, but be careful that it doesn't thicken too much to spread easily. If it becomes colder and too stiff, reheat it with few-second bursts in the microwave, or in a double boiler, taking care to stir gently with the silicone spatula so as not to incorporate air and lighten the color. If piping the ganache plugs, scrape the mixture into the prepared pastry bag.

Fill the Brownies If Using the Optional Ganache Plugs

As soon as the brownies are removed from the oven, while still on the rack, oil the end of a wooden chopstick or ¼-inch dowel and insert it into each brownie, at three evenly spaced intervals, all the way to the bottom, twisting slightly as you insert and withdraw it. Pipe or use a spoon to fill the holes with the ganache until slightly rounded above the surface of each brownie.

Cool and Unmold the Brownies

If not making the ganache plugs, unmold the brownies after 10 minutes of cooling. Run a small metal spatula between the side of the mold and the brownies, pressing firmly against the mold. Invert the brownies onto a wire rack and reinvert them onto a second rack. Cool completely. (If using silicone molds, push each brownie out with your finger pressed against the bottom of the mold.)

If making the ganache plugs, let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before unmolding. The ganache will sink in as it cools and more ganache can be added to fill in any depressions as long as the brownies are still warm enough to melt it. (If necessary, you can set the brownies under a lamp to heat the ganache plugs and make them smooth.) Allow the brownies to sit at room temperature until the ganache plugs are firm to the touch before unmolding them. If desired, you can then use the leftover ganache to coat the top of the brownies.

The brownies keep individually wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight container for 1 week at room temperature, for 1 month refrigerated, and for several months frozen. Try eating them frozen or chilled if you like a chewy brownie or at room temperature for a softer, creamier texture.

Plan Ahead

Cool the cakes for 45 minutes and refrigerate at least 4 hours ahead of serving.

Special Equipment

Silicone muffin pan with twelve 4-ounce cavities (no need to oil), set on a wire rack, then set in a roasting pan large enough to fit the rack and serve as a water bath    |    Silicone gloves for removing the hot muffin pans or a poultry baster to remove the hot water after baking    |    One 13 by 9-inch aluminum foil or metal pan

Preheat the Oven

Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.

Melt the Chocolate, Butter, and Sugar

In a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot, not simmering, water (don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water), place the chocolate, butter, and sugar and allow them to stand, stirring occasionally, until smooth and melted. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Beat the Eggs

In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a long-handled whisk, lightly whisk the eggs. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat just until warm to the touch, stirring constantly with the whisk to prevent curdling.

Immediately remove the bowl to the stand mixer and attach the whisk beater. Beat on high speed for about 5 minutes, until triple in volume and the eggs are billowy and almost ready to form soft peaks when the beater is raised. (If using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs over simmering water until they are hot. Then remove them from the heat and beat for a minimum of 5 minutes.)

Using a large balloon whisk, slotted skimmer, or silicone spatula, fold half the eggs into the chocolate mixture until almost evenly incorporated. Fold in the remaining eggs until almost no streaks remain. Use a silicone spatula to finish folding, scraping up the mixture from the bottom to ensure that all the heavier chocolate mixture gets incorporated.

Fill the Molds

Spoon the mixture into the cavities of the muffin pan set in the roasting pan, filling each almost to the top. Pour very hot water into the roasting pan so that it reaches about halfway up the sides of the muffin pan.

Bake the Cakes

Bake for 5 minutes. Invert the 13 by 9-inch pan over the top of the muffin pan so that it is resting on the outer edges of the pan. Continue baking for another 10 minutes. The cakes will appear set but will wobble slightly if the pan is moved. An instant-read thermometer will register 150°F/65°C.

Chill the Cakes

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using silicone gloves, lift out the wire rack with the muffin pan and set it on a countertop to cool. (If not using silicone gloves, siphon off the water with a poultry baster before setting the wire rack and muffin pan on the countertop.) Let the cakes cool in the molds for about 45 minutes, or until barely warm. Set the cakes, still on the rack, in the refrigerator and place the inverted metal pan back on top of them. (If there is not enough room to use the metal pan as a cover, use a piece of domed aluminum foil, tucking the edges under the edges of the muffin pan, making sure the foil does not touch the tops of the cakes.) Refrigerate until very firm, a minimum of 4 hours or up to overnight.

Unmold the Cakes

Have ready 12 serving plates.

Set a piece of parchment or wax paper on top of the cakes in the muffin pan and set a wire rack on top. Invert the muffin pan onto the lined rack. Use a hot damp dish towel to wipe the sides and the bottom of each mold. The cakes should slip out easily. If necessary, push the bottom of the mold lightly with your thumb, or apply a little more heat with the hot damp towel. Use a small offset spatula to lift each cake from the lined rack and invert it top side up onto the serving plate. Serve with fresh raspberries and whipped cream, if desired. The cakes keep, in an airtight container, for 1 week refrigerated.