CULINARY NINJA SERIES (EPISODE THIRTY THREE)
Most people associate chocolate with weight gain, binge eating, and unhealthy but what most don’t know is that this dark sweet delight that has always befriended us on so many lonely nights can actually help us reach our fitness goals (given you practice discipline of course!). Firstly, dark chocolate is known to lower blood sugar levels because of the antioxidants it contains so think of the wonders it can do for the waistline! Aside from that, it also lowers cholesterol.
What are you waiting for? After all, tis the season right? This recipe will take your guilty pleasures to the next level. But should you be extremely cautious with calories, you can always do away with the whipped cream and for those of you Paleo people, the darker the chocolate the better, since your daily dose should be served with a minimum of 70% cacao. So go ahead and whip up some of this decadence with a bunch of your gym squad!
Ingredients:
- 30 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
- 15 oz. grass-fed butter
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 9 whole eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions:
- Place chocolate and butter in a double boiler (a large bowl over a pot containing 1-2 inches of water at a light simmer). Melt and incorporate well while stirring constantly.
- Once chocolate is completely melted, add the vanilla and remove bowl from boiler. Set aside and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until eggs have tripled in volume.
- Fold ⅓ of the eggs into the chocolate/butter mixture and incorporate well, then add the remaining eggs and fold until uniform.
- Line a 10-inch Springform pan with foil. Do not make holes in the foil as this will allow water to infiltrate the mixture. If you make a hole in the foil, start over with a new sheet.
- Coat the foil with coconut oil and then add the batter to the pan.
- Place the cake pan into a hotel pan and fill hotel pan with hot tap water until just before the cake pan starts to float. You’ve created a water bath.
- Place the water bath into a preheated 400 F oven for 18 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the water for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the water bath and cool in the refrigerator overnight.
- Once the pan is cool, release the spring on the Springform pan and pull the cake from it by lifting the foil You will have a large chocolate puck with foil stuck to it.
- Gently remove the foil and invert the cake onto a baker’s rack that is placed over a sheet pan or hotel pan.
- Heat the ganache and pour gently over the middle of the cake so it spreads evenly and coats the cake completely on the top and sides. You can use a spatula or icing knife to help this process, but it is best to use ganache at just the right temperature so that it spreads and drapes on its own
- To cut the cake, dip a long, narrow knife in hot water and then dry with a towel. Cut the cake in half, sliding the knife out the side of the cake, not back up where it came from. Continue dipping, drying, cutting and sliding until you’ve made 8 cubes. This will yield 16 pieces.
- Serve each piece with raspberry coulis, whipped cream, and a fresh peppermint tip.
