Chocolate Cream Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks lightly salted butter, room temperature, plus additional for greasing the pans
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Frosting:

• 14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 sticks lightly salted butter, cut into thin slices

Caramel top:

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lightly salted butter
• Equipment: 2 round 8-inch baking pans for 1 large cake or 6 small baking pans for 3 smaller cakes.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter until smooth and add the sugar. Continue whipping until the mixture becomes fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Note: this process can be done with a whisk by hand. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, taking care that each egg is thoroughly integrated. Add the flour mixture and combine. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk to blend.

Grease the 2 pans with butter and fill each with half of the batter. Place the pans in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm or when the tip of a small knife emerges clean when it pierces the center of each cake, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool thoroughly, 1 hour at least. Once completely cool, using a serrated knife, slice each cake in half horizontally to form 4 equal layers. Place the layers on a flat surface. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate and sugar. In a medium pot over low heat, combine the heavy cream and vanilla and bring to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate and stir until all of the chocolate has melted. Gently whisk in the butter pieces. Set aside to cool.

When the frosting is cool, whip the frosting in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip to lighten the frosting, 1 to 2 minutes. Frost each layer of the cake, stacking them neatly and uniformly on top of each other. Then frost the entire outside of the cake as well.

In a medium skillet, heat the sugar until it "melts" and turns a caramel color. Stir in the butter. Pour the caramel directly over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides to create a caramel shell. Allow the caramel topping to cool and harden on top of the cake.

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Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 sugar (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 11/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon powder
• 1 (10-ounce) package Creme de Menthe baking chips (recommended: Andes)
• Shaved Creme de Menthe thins (recommended: Andes)
• Chocolate frosting

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually stir into butter mixture. Fold in mint chips. Spoon into greased pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

While brownies are baking, prepare frosting. Combine butter, cocoa, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at high speed until spreading consistency.

Remove pan from the oven and allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack. Spread with chocolate frosting. Top with shaved mint thins.

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Pastilla Chocolate Tart

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 1 1/3 cups Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Prepare the dough: Sift together the cocoa powder, flour and salt in a large bowl.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, incorporating each ingredient before adding the next. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces; place one piece between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Refrigerate both rectangles, covered with the parchment sheets, until firm, at least 1 hour or up to several days.

Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut the dough into 64 circles. (You can reroll the scraps once.) Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Bake the cookies until they are set and slightly darker around the edges, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter and shortening until fluffy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla.

Flip half of the cookies upside down and top each with 1 level tablespoon of filling. Press the remaining cookies on top to make sandwiches.

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