Wickedly Indulgent Chocolate Cake #FoodieReads

This was inspired by reading The Book Club Hotel: A Novel by Sarah Morgan.

On the Page

Erica, Claudia, and Anna have been best friends since their college years. Now they are turning forty and life has thrown them some curve balls. Claudia's decade-long relationship imploded and she lost her job as a chef. Anna's twins are leaving for college and the prospect of her empty nest terrifies her. Erica has always been happy being alone, but she find herself considering a move away from her friends-with-benefits arrangement. And she picks the Maple Sugar Inn for their annual book club get together for a very specific reason.

Hattie is a twenty-six year old widow whose husband bought the bed and breakfast and made virtually every decision about its operation. She is carrying on out of respect though she would not make those same choices or hire those same people. She also has a five-year-old daughter and a burgeoning flirtation with the farmer next door.

Though the plot is largely predictable, that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

On the Plate

There was quite a bit of food in the novel given that Claudia is a chef and the book is set in a bed-and-breakfast. About Claudia... "She used to love everything about cooking. The excitement of working with the best ingredients, the creative buzz that came from preparing something delicious. Cooking relaxed her. The sizzle of garlic in hot oil, the scent of fresh herbs, the sense of satisfaction that came from hearing a diner say that the meal she’d prepared was the best thing they’d ever eaten."

When the girls go to pick up Anna, she serves them dinner. "'I’m starving. What have you cooked us?' 'Claudia’s favorite. A lamb tagine with apricots and spices from a recipe book Pete bought me last year. It’s delicious. Perfect for this cold weather."

But what sent me into the kitchen was Hattie and Noah's first date.

After the bisque there was rib of beef, slow roasted with vegetables sourced from the Peterson farm, and for dessert they shared a wickedly indulgent chocolate cake....

For me 'wickedly indulgent' meant chocolate cake with coffee and whiskey.

Ingredients

Cake

makes two 9" rounds

• 3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided

• 1-1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

• 1/2 cup whiskey

• 1-1/2 sticks butter, cubed + more for greasing the pans

• 1 cup organic granulated sugar

• 1 cup organic brown sugar

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate, chipped

• 2 cup flour

• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 4 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon coffee extract

Ganache

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate, chipped

• 1 Tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 Tablespoon whiskey

• 1 Tablespoon butter

Procedure

Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter pans and set aside.

In a medium saucepan add 3/4 cup cocoa powder, coffee, whiskey, and butter. Whisk the ingredients over low heat until the butter is melted and everything is well-combined. Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Stirring until combined. Remove the pan from the heat.

In a small mixing bowl toss together the chocolate chips and 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder. This helps the chips stay suspended in the batter and not sink to the bottom!

In another large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, cloves, and cinnamon. Whisk the eggs into the cooled chocolate mixture and stir in the extracts. Fold the dark chocolate chips into the batter.

Divide the batter between the two pans and place in the oven. Bake for about 1 hour. The top should spring back when pressed gently. Remove from oven and let the cakes cool completely before covering it with the whiskey ganache.

Ganache

In a small saucepan add the chocolate chunks, cream, whiskey, and butter. Heat over low heat to melt the chocolate. Stir until well combined. Let cool until it is the consistency of peanut butter. The ganache should be thick enough to spread between your cakes and on top. Cover the sides, then refrigerate for 15 minutes to let the ganache set. Serve thin slices as this is very, very rich.

I am adding this to the August #FoodieReads link-up.