Mini Chocolate Espresso Cakes with Orange Macerated Raspberries
serves 6-8

Cake

Ingredients

  • .75 cups all-purpose flour
  • .75 cups sugar
  • .5 teaspoon salt
  • .5 cup instant espresso powder
  • 4 ounces butter
  • 2 ounces chocolate (bittersweet, 66%-72%)
  • 2 each whole eggs (Grade A, large)
  • .5 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • .5 cup chocolate chips
  • powdered sugar or cocoa powder, to garnish

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour 6 to 8 4-ounce soufflé ramekins.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, and espresso powder. Reserve.

Combine butter and chocolate over a double boiler and melt. Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly, approximately 8-10 minutes. Whisk in eggs, vanilla extract, and sifted dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips. Portion mixture into ramekins, filling each one about two thirds full. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the centers are set. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly in ramekin. To serve, invert directly onto a plate and dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder. (See below for plating instructions.) If you have baked cakes ahead of time, you may reheat the cakes in the microwave for 30 seconds before serving.

Orange Macerated Raspberries

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces sugar
  • .33 cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cointreau
  • 1 pint raspberries

Procedure

Combine sugar in saucepot with enough water to resemble wet sand, approximately .25 cup water. Cover and cook on high heat until caramel begins to form medium to dark color. Remove from heat and slowly add orange juice. Once it stops bubbling, whisk smooth and add Grand Marnier (or Cointreau) and strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Allow caramel to cool. In a mixing bowl, gently toss raspberries with .25 cup of cooled orange caramel. Let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.

Chantilly Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 each vanilla bean, split and scraped

Procedure

Combine cream, sugar, and vanilla bean (which has been split with a paring knife and, using the back of the blade, had the inside of the bean scraped) in an large shallow stainless steel mixing bowl. Whip with a whisk until medium peaks form. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Note that the whipped cream might need to be rewhipped just before plating the dessert.

Assembly

On a white plate, invert the warm cake onto the plate. Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar or cocoa powder. Spoon approximately 6-8 raspberries on top or around the cake and finish with Chantilly Cream.