Chocolate Wow - Chocolate Cake

Last weekend I visited my sister on Long Island. Saturday night a bunch of us went out to dinner at Sagamore Steakhouse in Syosset, NY. Though this place is quite pricey, the food was pretty good & the wine list incredibly extensive. The real highlight of the night, to my delight, was the dessert! From custard to apple pie to ice cream, they had it all in quantity & absolute heavenly taste :).

Though, in general, I try to eat healthy & avoid foods/desserts laden with calories, there was one item on the menu that I could not pass up: their Chocolate Wow Dessert. All I have to say is, see the image below & you'll understand how amazing it was!

Amazing, right? The main cake consisted of rich chocolate cake with a white chocolate creamy layer on top. Then, they placed a huge amount of thick, creamy chocolate mousse. The shape of the cake was a half sphere, iced with a thick chocolate fudge frosting. On the side of the cake they included a giant brownie-like chocolate cookie, home made whipped cream, chocolate twist sticks & squares of chocolate. The plate is decorated with chocolate & caramel sauces as well as chocolate shavings.

One word: Rich!

I am still trying to talk the restaurant into giving me the recipe, but so far I haven't been too successful. So, I'm going to give you a few recipes that you could use to concoct this delicious dessert yourself :).

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

4 tbsp (60 g) butter
4 squares (4 oz.–112 g) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups (400 g) sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) milk
2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract

Scald the milk and pour it over the chocolate, stirring until melted. Add the sugar & mix well. Then, cook for 6 minutes over low-med heat. It helps to use a double boiler or place the mixture in a glass bowl over a pot with 1-inch of simmering water. Add the butter and cook for 6 minutes more. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Beat the mixture until thick enough to spread.

Chocolate Mousse (From Epicurious)

2 cups chilled heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

Heat 3/4 cup cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan until hot. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a metal bowl until combined well, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 160°F on thermometer. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or in a glass bowl in a microwave at 50 percent power 3 to 5 minutes), stirring frequently. Whisk custard into chocolate until smooth, then cool.

Beat remaining 1 1/4 cups cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk one fourth of cream into chocolate custard to lighten, then fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly.

Spoon mousse into 8 (6-ounce) stemmed glasses or ramekins and chill, covered, at least 6 hours. Let stand at room temperature about 20 minutes before serving.

White Chocolate Mousse (I think this is what the white layer was)

1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

Heat water in saucepan, with sugar, until sugar is dissolved. Add chocolate chips and melt until smooth. Set saucepan in cold water to cool mixture. Place in the fridge until thoroughly chilled. Whisk smooth. Beat cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold into cold chocolate mixture. Pour into serving dishes and enjoy.

Rich Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, milk and oil. Stir in the sugar, cocoa and flour, mix until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Large Chocolate Cookie

This cookie actually tasted a ton like my Chocolate Crackle Cookies. Just omit the powdered sugar if you don't want it to be partially white.

Whipped Cream from Scratch

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Add the cream, and whip quickly with a wire whisk until the cream is slightly thickened.

Now add the sugar and any flavorings.

Continue to whip until cream forms soft peaks. Don't whip beyond the soft-peak stage, because the cream will get stiff and curdle.

Whipped cream made with good-quality cream should last for 24-hours.