nfotxn | (no subject)

So as a going away gesture I am baking my friends and family cakes and other goods. I figure it's something of a good gesture because many people have really made my staying here a lot easier.

Frozen Chocolate Cake With Mascarpone

From Scottish celeb chef Nick Nairn's cookbook "Island Harvest".

Serves 8

200g (7oz) bitter plain chocolate (65%+ cocoa solids
200g caster sugar
200g unsalted butter
150ml (5fl oz) espresso coffee
3 medium farm fresh eggs

For the mascarpone:

250g (9 oz) mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 medium farm fresh egg yolk

For the frozen chocolate cake, line a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) shallow rectangular tin with non-stick baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180°C/250°F/Gas Mark 4.

Break the chocolate into a pan and add the sugar, butter and espresso coffee. Leave it over a low heat until everything has melted and then increase the heat slightly and allow the mixture to come up to a gentle simmer. Leave it for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture has slightly caramelized.

Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk together lightly. Beat in the caramelized chocolate mixture and mix together well. Pour the mixture through a sieve into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool. Then transfer it to the freezer and leave it until it has just frozen, but not so that it is rock hard.

Meanwhile, beat the mascarpone together with the caster sugar and egg yolk in a bowl until thick. Cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge.

To serve, remove the cake from the freezer and lift it out of the tin. Peel back the baking parchment and cut the cake in half lengthways and then across into 4 so that you end up with 8 retangular pieces. Lift onto dessert plates with quenelles of mascarpone.