—base—
1/4 c Unsalted butter
2 tb Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c Packed light brown sugar
2 tb All-purpose flour
3/4 c Finely chopped walnuts
1 lg Egg
2 ts Vanilla
—filling—
1 1/2 c Walnuts
1/4 c Unsalted butter
1 c Packed light brown sugar
1/4 c Honey
1/4 c Heavy cream
1 ts Vanilla
1 ts Fresh lemon juice
—ganache—
1 1/4 c Heavy cream
1 lb Fine-quality bittersweet
-(not unsweetened) or
-semisweet chocolate
Preheat oven to 350 deg. F and butter a 9-inch springform pan. Make base:
In a small saucepan melt butter and stir in cocoa powder. Remove pan from
heat and add brown sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in flour, walnuts,
egg, and vanilla and spread batter evenly in springform pan. Bake base in
middle of oven 10 minutes, or just until firm, and transfer to a rack to
cool. Make filling: Arrange walnuts in one layer on top of base. In a small
heavy saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, and honey and cook over
moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until a candy
thermometer registers 280 deg. F. Remove pan from heat and add cream,
vanilla, and lemon juice, stirring until smooth. Cool mixture to room
temperature and pour over walnuts, spreading evenly. Make ganache: In a
saucepan bring cream just to a boil. Finely chop chocolate. Put chocolate
in a metal bowl and pour hot cream over it, stirring until smooth. Cool
ganache to room temperature and beat with an electric mixer until it just
holds soft peaks (do not overbeat or it will become grainy). Spread ganache
evenly over filling. Chill cake, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
Run a thin knife around edge of cake and remove side of pan. With a large
spatula transfer cake to a plate and let stand at room temperature 30
minutes before serving.
Makes one 9-inch cake.
At the cafe this dessert is accompanied by raspberry sauce and topped with
whipped cream.
Yields
1 Cake