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| General Category : Cakes |
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| Food Group : Eggs, Grains, Nuts, Chocolate and Sweets, Cheese/Other Dairy |
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| Preparation Method : Bake |
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| These small squares of dense but tender cake - soaked in kirsch (cherry eau-de-vie) and coated in a rich layer of chocolate - are reminiscent of chocolate fondue and have the appearance of elegant petits fours. The cake will be twice as much as you need for six servings, so save the second half to serve, sliced and toasted, with ice cream another day or double the kirsch and coating ingredients and make a double batch. Save the cake trimmings in the freezer for another use, such as trifle, or if you can't resist, just eat them right away! |
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Ingredients
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1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened |
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1-1/2 cups (375 mL) granulated sugar |
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5 eggs |
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1/3 cup (75 mL) milk |
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1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla |
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2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour |
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3/4 tsp (4 mL) baking powder |
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1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt |
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1/4 cup (60 mL) kirsch (or other fruit eau-de-vie) |
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Coating: |
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8 oz (250 g) bittersweet chocolate |
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2 tbsp (30 mL) butter |
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2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped pistachios |
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Preparation
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Line 9- x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan with parchment paper; set aside.
In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until light and creamy; stir in milk and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into butter mixture until smooth. Scrape into prepared pan, smoothing top.
Bake in centre of 300°F (150°C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 1-½ hours. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove parchment paper and transfer to rack; let cool completely.
With serrated knife, cut rounded top from cake and trim crust from sides, bottom and ends of cake to make even rectangle. Halve pound cake crosswise. (Wrap one half of cake in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or overwrap in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 4 weeks.)
Halve remaining half of cake horizontally. Keeping layers stacked, cut into thirds, crosswise and lengthwise, to make 18 cubes of cake. Lay on sheet of waxed paper on tray or baking sheet.
Using toothpick or skewer, make several holes in top of each cube, not all the way through to the bottom. Spoon generous ½ tsp (2 mL) of the kirsch over each cube; set aside.
Coating: Meanwhile, in heatproof bowl over pot of hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate with butter; whisk until smooth. Using small palette knife or spreading knife, spread about 2 tsp (10 mL) of the chocolate mixture all over top and sides of each square.
Sprinkle small mound of pistachios onto each square. Transfer tray to refrigerator; let coating harden, about 1 hour. Transfer to serving platter. (Make-ahead: Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before serving.)
Makes 18 servings.
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Nutritional information
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| Per serving: about 273 cal, 4 g pro, 18 g total fat (10 g sat. fat), 27 g carb, 2 g fibre, 71 mg chol, 172 mg sodium. % RDI: 3% calcium, 11% iron, 11% vit A, 10% folate. |
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Source
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Homemakers Magazine: November 2004
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