Warm Chocolate Cakes With Coffee Crème Anglaise Recipes

WARM CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH COFFEE CREAM

Steps:

• To make the coffee cream, in a large saucepan, combine the coffee and milk and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat, add the vanilla, cover and cool for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar until thick and light-colored. Whisk in the flour. Remove and discard the vanilla bean and very slowly whisk the hot milk and coffee into the flour mixture.
• Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
• To make the cakes, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour 10 2/3-cup ceramic ramekins.
• In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, combine the chocolate, butter and rum and cook, stirring, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is completely smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and egg yolks and whisk until thick and light-colored. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Fold in the chocolate and then the flour. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until the cakes have risen and the tops just begin to crack, about 10 to 15 minutes. (The centers will still be slightly gooey.)
• Remove the cakes from the oven and immediately unmold them by inverting them onto dessert plates (run a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the ramekins if they stick). If necessary, rewarm cream in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Sprinkle the cakes with powdered sugar and spoon coffee cream around them.

RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CREME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• To make the creme anglaise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast until nicely browned, stirring twice, about 10 minutes; watch carefully to prevent burning. Place in a saucepan with the milk and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 15 minutes.
• Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale yellow. Bring the milk mixture back to a simmer. Whisking constantly, add the milk to the yolk mixture. Return sauce to pan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; do not let it simmer. Strain through a fine sieve. Stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate until cold.
• To make the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. Place chocolate, brown sugar and butter in a metal bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until melted. Mix well. Stir in egg yolks and vanilla, then almonds, flour and salt.
• Whip egg whites until firm but not dry. Stir 1/3 of the whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whites. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out only slightly wet, about 30 minutes. Cool.
• To serve, spoon sauce onto each plate and top with a slice of cake.

WARM CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH COFFEE CRèME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• Sauce:
• Bring first 4 ingredients to a simmer in a medium pan over medium heat, stirring continuously. Remove vanilla bean; scrape seeds into sauce. Place egg yolk in a bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp hot-milk mixture; add back to pan. Cook 1 minute; stir. Remove from heat; cool. Cover and refrigerate.
• Cakes:
• Beat egg white in a bowl with an electric mixer on high until foamy. Add 1/2 tsp sugar; continue beating on high, adding 5 more 1/2-tsp increments of sugar until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat egg yolk with remaining 1 tbsp sugar until thick. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Remove from heat; stir in yogurt; add to egg yolk mixture. Fold in egg white mixture. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 325°F. Coat 4 molds in a muffin tin with cooking spray; pour in batter. Bake 12 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. Cool slightly. Pour 2 tbsp sauce on each of 4 plates (or serve in a creamer on the side); put 1 cake on top of each.