Assuming you like cashews, it’s really difficult to go wrong with anything that pairs chocolate with that mealy, buttery nut. But while anyone can add cashews to, say, a brownie mix and throw some chocolate frosting on top, this cake offers a more intense experience. Even though I didn’t eat the finished product (gasp), I was compelled, in the name of thorough recipe testing, of course, to sample the chocolate-cashew ganache. My reaction: I wanted to immediately sit down, pour about a cup of it over a bowl of vanilla ice cream, and forget about making the rest of the cake. I can say without hesitation that freshly toasted cashews embedded in rich, creamy ganache makes for a sensational combination.
Although I failed to sample the finished product, I’m still giving this one a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a hearty, decadent, ridiculously calorie-laden (and you wonder why I didn't have a slice) cake that could hold its head high in a lineup of serious contenders for a special-occasion cake.
Rating: 4
Highs:
Really, it’s all about the cashews. I’m finding that a lot of the chocolate cake recipes in this book are very similar in terms of make up, so the cashews help this one stand out. Use freshly roasted cashews to get the best flavor.
Lows:
This thing takes forever to make! Seriously, from start to finish, it’s a good 4 hours. It has to rest or be chilled or otherwise sit alone in a little palace or something for at least 3 hours at various intervals during the assembly process.
Also, between the 3 cups of cashews and the staggering 19 oz. of chocolate, it takes a load off your wallet. In short: only cashew lovers and those ready for a labor of love need apply.
Chocolate Cashew Brownie Cake
Cake
Chocolate Ganache
Equipment
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.
Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place 4 ½ oz semisweet chocolate, 6 T. butter, and the unsweetened chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap and allow to heat for 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
Coat a 9 x ½-inch pan with 1 t. butter. Flour the pan with 1 t. flour, shaking out the excess.
Combine the eggs, 1 c. sugar, and the vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whip on high until slightly thickened and doubled in volume, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and whip on medium for 15 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in ¾ c. flour, the salt, and the baking powder, using a rubber spatula to combine thoroughly. In a stainless steel bowl, vigorously whisk the sour cream. Add the sour cream to the brownie cake mixture and thoroughly combine.
Pour the brownie cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove the cake from the oven and cook in the pan for 20 minutes at room temperature. Turn out onto a cake circle and refrigerated, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees Farenheit.
Toast the cashews on a baking sheet in the 300-degree Farenheit oven until golden, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Reserve 36 cashews to decorate the cake. Chop ½ c. toasted cashews into pieces no larger than 1/8 inch in a food processor fitted with a metal blade (these will be used to decorate the sides of the cake). Chop the remaining cashews in the food processor into ¼-inch pieces (to combine into the ganache).
To prepare the chocolate ganache, heat the heavy cream, 3 T. butter, and 3 T. sugar in a 2 ½-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place 12 oz. of semisweet chocolate in a stainless steel bowl and pour the boiling cream over the chocolate. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.
Remove 1 c. of ganache and keep at room temperature. Combine the remaining ganache and the 1/4-inch pieces of cashews. Keep at room temperature until needed.
Remove the brownie cake from the refrigerator. Turn the cake top side up and place on a clean, dry surface. Slice the brownie cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Place the top layer of the brownie cake, cut side down, onto the bottom of a closed springform pan. Using a rubber spatula, spread 1 ½ c. of the ganache and cashew mixture over the brownie cake layer in the springform pan, spreading the ganache evenly to the edges. Place the center layer of the brownie cake on top of the ganache in the springform pan and gently press into place.
Spread the remaining ganache and cashew mixture over the center brownie cake layer, again spreading evenly to the edges. Place the bottom layer of the brownie cake, cut side down, on top of the last ganache layer, pressing gently but firmly into place. Refrigerate the cake at least 1 hour before final assembly.
To remove the brownie cake from the pan, cut around the inside edge of the pan with a serrated knife. Pour the reserved cup of ganache over the top of the brownie cake, spreading the ganache with a cake spatula to create an even coating on both the top and the sides. Press the 1/8-inch chopped cashews into the ganache on the sides of the brownie cake, coating the cake evenly all around.
Evenly space the reserved whole cashews around the top of the brownie cake, ½-inch inside the outer edge of the top. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour before serving.
To serve, cut the cake with a serrated slicer that has been heated. Allow the slices to come to room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Although I failed to sample the finished product, I’m still giving this one a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a hearty, decadent, ridiculously calorie-laden (and you wonder why I didn't have a slice) cake that could hold its head high in a lineup of serious contenders for a special-occasion cake.
Rating: 4
Highs:
Really, it’s all about the cashews. I’m finding that a lot of the chocolate cake recipes in this book are very similar in terms of make up, so the cashews help this one stand out. Use freshly roasted cashews to get the best flavor.
Lows:
This thing takes forever to make! Seriously, from start to finish, it’s a good 4 hours. It has to rest or be chilled or otherwise sit alone in a little palace or something for at least 3 hours at various intervals during the assembly process.
Also, between the 3 cups of cashews and the staggering 19 oz. of chocolate, it takes a load off your wallet. In short: only cashew lovers and those ready for a labor of love need apply.
Chocolate Cashew Brownie Cake
Cake
- 4 ½ oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into ½-oz. pieces
- 6 T plus 1 t. unsalted butter
- 2 ½ oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into ½-oz. pieces
- ¾ c. plus 1 t. flour
- 5 eggs
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 t. pure vanilla extract
- ¾ t. salt
- ¾ t. baking powder
- 3 T. sour cream
Chocolate Ganache
- 3 c. cashews
- 1 ½ c. heavy cream
- 3 T. unsalted butter
- 3 T. granulated sugar
- 12 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into ½-oz. pieces
Equipment
- One 9 x ½-inch cake pan
- One 9 x 3-inch springform pan
- Food processor with metal blade
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.
Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place 4 ½ oz semisweet chocolate, 6 T. butter, and the unsweetened chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap and allow to heat for 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
Coat a 9 x ½-inch pan with 1 t. butter. Flour the pan with 1 t. flour, shaking out the excess.
Combine the eggs, 1 c. sugar, and the vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whip on high until slightly thickened and doubled in volume, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and whip on medium for 15 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in ¾ c. flour, the salt, and the baking powder, using a rubber spatula to combine thoroughly. In a stainless steel bowl, vigorously whisk the sour cream. Add the sour cream to the brownie cake mixture and thoroughly combine.
Pour the brownie cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove the cake from the oven and cook in the pan for 20 minutes at room temperature. Turn out onto a cake circle and refrigerated, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees Farenheit.
Toast the cashews on a baking sheet in the 300-degree Farenheit oven until golden, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Reserve 36 cashews to decorate the cake. Chop ½ c. toasted cashews into pieces no larger than 1/8 inch in a food processor fitted with a metal blade (these will be used to decorate the sides of the cake). Chop the remaining cashews in the food processor into ¼-inch pieces (to combine into the ganache).
To prepare the chocolate ganache, heat the heavy cream, 3 T. butter, and 3 T. sugar in a 2 ½-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place 12 oz. of semisweet chocolate in a stainless steel bowl and pour the boiling cream over the chocolate. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.
Remove 1 c. of ganache and keep at room temperature. Combine the remaining ganache and the 1/4-inch pieces of cashews. Keep at room temperature until needed.
Remove the brownie cake from the refrigerator. Turn the cake top side up and place on a clean, dry surface. Slice the brownie cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Place the top layer of the brownie cake, cut side down, onto the bottom of a closed springform pan. Using a rubber spatula, spread 1 ½ c. of the ganache and cashew mixture over the brownie cake layer in the springform pan, spreading the ganache evenly to the edges. Place the center layer of the brownie cake on top of the ganache in the springform pan and gently press into place.
Spread the remaining ganache and cashew mixture over the center brownie cake layer, again spreading evenly to the edges. Place the bottom layer of the brownie cake, cut side down, on top of the last ganache layer, pressing gently but firmly into place. Refrigerate the cake at least 1 hour before final assembly.
To remove the brownie cake from the pan, cut around the inside edge of the pan with a serrated knife. Pour the reserved cup of ganache over the top of the brownie cake, spreading the ganache with a cake spatula to create an even coating on both the top and the sides. Press the 1/8-inch chopped cashews into the ganache on the sides of the brownie cake, coating the cake evenly all around.
Evenly space the reserved whole cashews around the top of the brownie cake, ½-inch inside the outer edge of the top. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour before serving.
To serve, cut the cake with a serrated slicer that has been heated. Allow the slices to come to room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
