Chocolate Pecan Cake with White Chocolate Mocha Sauce

Happy Birthday Karl-Peter! The chickens are grateful to you for saving their lives from the hawk this week, and with this cake they give you their 10-egg salute!

Chocolate Pecan Cake with White Chocolate Mocha Sauce

Adapted from the New New Orleans Cooking by Emeril, and lovingly prepared by KP’s mother Marilyn

8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 2 teaspoons butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate, chopped
10 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups toasted pecan pieces
2 1/2 cups White Chocolate Mocha Sauce
1 cup heavy cream, sweetened and whipped
1/4 cup chocolate-covered coffee beans
Shaker confectioners’ sugar
Sprigs fresh mint

For the white chocolate mocha sauce
1 cup strong brewed coffee
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate pieces

Grease a 10-inch cake pan with 2 teaspoons of the butter. In a metal bowl set over a simmering pot of water, melt the chocolate with the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and stir occasionally until smooth and creamy. Remove from the heat. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar, beat on medium-high speed until pale and thick. In a large stainless steel bowl, whip the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Slowly beat the chocolate into the egg yolk mixture (If the mixture “seizes” or curdles, add cold cream and whisk until smooth), then gently fold in the egg whites. Spread 1 cup of the pecans in the prepared pan and pour the chocolate mixture over them. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup pecans over the top and refrigerate overnight. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and turn onto a serving platter. Using a warm knife, slice the cake into 12 equal slices. To serve, spoon the sauce in the center of each serving plate. Lay a piece of the cake in the center of sauce. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, several coffee beans, confectioners’ sugar and mint.
For the sauce
In a saucepan over high heat, combine the coffee and cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the chocolate, whisking as it melts, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve immediately or store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. Reheat in a double boiler. Yield: about 2 1/2 cups

This was such an incredible cake, especially with the sauce. So dark and rich. KP and his mother Marilyn made it while she was visiting last week, and we sliced it with friends at Beer Church. Marilyn remains the best mother-in-law I could ever hope to have.