Prep Time: 0 mins
Total Time: 9 hrs 13 mins
Serves: 12,Yield: 1cake
About This Recipe
“Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse. I got this from foodtv.com and had to share.”
Ingredients
for the cake
8eggs
1cupsugar
2tablespoonssugar
1/3 cupunsweetened cocoa powder
1cupflour
1teaspoonbaking powder
2tablespoonsbutter
3/4 cupGrand Marnier
for the pudding
4cupsheavy cream
1/2 cupcornstarch
1cupsugar
5ouncessemi-sweet chocolate chips
2teaspoonspure vanilla extract
for the ganache
2cupsheavy cream
1 1/2 lbssemi-sweet chocolate baking squares, chopped
for the garnish
11ouncessemi-sweet chocolate chips
1tablespoonconfectioners’ sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat two 9 by 2-inch cake pans with butter and coat each with 1 Tablespoon sugar.
————-For the cake————–.
In a large mixing bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with whisk attachment, combine eggs and 1 cup of sugar.
Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale yellow, thick, and has tripled in volume, about 8 minutes.
In a separate mixing bowl sift together the cocoa, flour, and baking powder.
Fold cocoa mixture into the egg mixture to combine completely, until mixture is smooth.
Divide cake batter evenly into two cake pans.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched.
Cool cakes for 15 minutes.
Loosen cakes from pans and unmold onto wire rack.
Cool to room temperature.
————-For the pudding——————-.
Combine 1/2 cup of the cream with the cornstarch in a small bowl and stir to make a paste.
Combine the paste with remaining 3 1/2 cups cream, sugar, chocolate chips, and vanilla in a large nonstick saucepan.
Using a wire whisk, stir the mixture until it is well blended.
Over low heat, whisk cream mixture until chocolate melts thoroughly.
Cook the mixture, stirring frequently, until it becomes very thick, about 25 minutes.
Pour pudding into a large bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap, covering surface of pudding with the plastic to prevent a skin from forming.
Let cool to room temperature.
—————-To assemble the cake—————-.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack over it.
Using a serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally.
Brush the tops of three layers each with 1/4 cup of the Grand Marnier.
Place the bottom layer on a 9-inch round of cardboard and set it on the wire rack.
Spread 1 1/2 cups of the pudding evenly on top of the layer.
Top with a second layer of cake.
Spread 1 1/2 cups of pudding evenly over it.
Repeat for the third layer.
Top with the fourth layer.
Chill in the refridgerator for 2 hours.
—————-For the ganache————-.
In a medium-sized nonstick saucepan over medium heat, heat cream just under boiling point.
Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate.
With a whisk, stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.
Pour ganache over the top of chilled cake, allowing overflow to drip down the sides.
Cool slightly.
Carefully remove the cake from the wire rack.
Chill for at least 6 hours.
———–For the garnish————-.
In a medium-sized saucepan, add 3-inches of water.
Boil water and reduce to a simmer.
Place semisweet chips in a stainless steel bowl and place bowl over simmering water.
Stir chocolate until melted to a smooth consistency.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread melted chocolate evenly across sheet.
Chill in refrigerator until set, about 1 hour.
Break the chocolate into large shard-like pieces.
Place chocolate shards on top of the cake vertically at various angles.
Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
Reviews
“Good Golly, was this good!I made it for our Easter dessert and those that indulged loved it!The compliments were flying my way and I loved every minute of it :)Great cake!”
“This cake was just okay.I made it for DH grandmother’s 80th bday.It took awhile to prepare and just tasted okay.The taste did not justify the prep time.But the cake sure did look pretty!”
“to the person below your right, but it tells you to brush the layers with the grand marnier..so i see her point…but i doubt it would be enough to effect anyone..”
“To the previous reviewer: there was no need to leave out the Grand Marnier, as the alcohol completely cooks off when you bake the cake, just leaving the flavor behind. “
“This cake was very time consuming and expensive to make. I used Ghirardelli chocolate for the ganache. I estimate that this cake cost me between $25 and $30 to make. That is WITHOUT using the Grand Marnier, as there were children and a pregnant person consuming the cake. The omission of the Grand Marnier may explain the slightly dry, spongy taste of the cake layers. The ganache and the pudding both tasted good, but for the time and expense this cake takes, for us the taste is just not worth it.”
“A chocolate lovers dream. My Mom made this for me for my B day and it was wonderful.”
“This cake took a while to make but it was worth it!The recipe sounds like it would be super sweet but it isn’t, very heavy though, only need thin slices. My only problem was the layers of the pudding, I should have thought about a mold to hold the layers still. My cake came out great other than the layers being slighty crooked. I baked it for my brothers B–day and the guest’s loved it, there were no left overs. If you are on a diet, you better forget about it with this one…..”
“Made this for my husband for our anniversary early this month.Definately start the night before, there is a little work involved in this recipe, but it is simple to make.I loved that the cake was light and I especially loved the pudding filling.DH was very impressed!A big hit for our special dinner!”
“Unbelievable!!Definitely make the night before!It is time consuming but one bite and you will want to make it over and over!”
“ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! I baked this as a birthday cake for the boyfriend, and he loved it. Matter of fact, I’ve been told I can’t bake him anything different next year — LOL. All I did was look for something that was really chocolatey, and made from scratch. The one comment I’d make is that it is very time consuming. It’s definitely worthwhile for special occasions, though!”