Dark Chocolate Pecan Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease with 1 tablespoon butter.
• Using a double boiler or pan over simmering water, melt together chocolate and remaining 1/4 cup butter. Set aside to cool.
• Using a blender, chop pecans finely. Add eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt and melted chocolate mixture, blending until smooth. Pour batter into pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes; cake should be moist but not wet. Allow to cool completely.
• For the garnish: In a large mixing bowl, combine piloncillo or brown sugar, lime zest and lime juice. Add strawberries and blackberries, and toss gently. Just before serving, toss again and spoon on top of cake. If desired, serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar, chocolate and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Add the butter and mix thoroughly with your fingers or a fork until all of the butter has been evenly distributed and incorporated into the flour. Form into small to medium clumps with your fingers.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
• Beat together the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour, beating until just incorporated.
• Spoon half of the cake batter (it will be very thick) into the prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the chocolate and pecans on top. Spoon the remaining cake batter on top and smooth the top. Sprinkle on the crumb topping.
• Bake until the cake and topping are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate; invert back onto a rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch pan.
• Mix 2 cups white sugar, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl.
• Combine water, vegetable shortening, margarine, and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Pour liquid into flour mixture and stir well. Return saucepan to stove and set it aside.
• Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk in a large liquid measuring cup and stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Pour egg mixture into cake batter and mix until fully combined. Transfer batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake the cake in preheated oven until cake springs back when touched lightly with a finger or a tester comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
• While cake is baking, prepare icing using reserved saucepan. Combine confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, butter, milk, vanilla, and pecans in saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Pour icing over hot cake immediately after it comes out of the oven. Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Remove the side from an 8" springform pan.
• Line the bottom of the pan with waxed paper, extending the paper over the bottom edge.
• Attach side to bottom of the springform pan, making sure paper is secured to the pan.
• Trim paper to just beyond edge of pan.
• Grease paper and 1 inch up sides of pan with shortening or butter; set aside (or, grease the bottom of a 9x1 1/2" round baking pan; line bottom of pan with waxed paper. Grease the paper and side of pan. Set aside).
• Place the 1 cup of chocolate pieces and the 1/3 cup butter in a large microwave-safe bowl.
• Microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 1 minute to 1 minute and 15 seconds or until chocolate is smooth when stirred; cool slightly.
• Add granulated sugar and the 1 1/2 tsp vanilla to melted chocolate mixture.
• Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed.
• Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in flour and water on low speed, just until combined.
• Stir in the 3/4 cup pecans.
• Thoroughly wash beaters.
• In a bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt with electric mixer on high speed just until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).
• Stir a small amount of the beaten egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture to lighten the batter.
• Carefully fold the remaining egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture.
• Pour batter into prepared pan.
• If using the springform pan, place it in a shallow baking pan on the oven rack.
• If using the 9" baking pan, place it directly on the oven rack.
• Bake cake in a 350°F oven about 45 minutes for the springform pan or about 35 minutes for the 9" pan or until the top is evenly puffed.
• Torte will not test done in center.
• Top will have a sugary crust that will crack.
• Remove springform pan from baking pan.
• Cool cake in pan on wire rack.
• Loosen edge of cake from pan.
• Remove side of pan.
• Invert onto serving plate.
• Remove pan bottom.
• Peel off paper.
• If using 9" pan, cool cake in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes; loosen side of cake and invert onto plate.
• Peel off paper.
• Cool.
• Spoon Chocolate Glaze over cake, spreading to cover top and allowing glaze to drip over sides.
• If desired, sprinkle top with chopped pecans.
• Cover; refrigerate about 30 minutes or until glaze is set.
• Chocolate Glaze.
• In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons water.
• Microwave on 100 percent (high) about 45 seconds.
• Add 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; beat until smooth.
• If necessary, add hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time to make a glaze consistency.
• Notes:.
• Because the torte has very little flour and lots of sugar, the top will puff up during baking and crack.
• Don't worry about the cracks.
• Before glazing, invert the cake so the smooth bottom becomes the top.
• My cake did not crack on top.
• Use a large spoon to spread the glaze on the torte, letting some of the glaze spill oven the side.
• For a fancier dessert, use a spatula to carefully smooth the glaze around the sides of the torte and over the top.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil or butter a 9- by 2-inch round springform pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper or foil.
• In a double boiler or a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolates and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and stir in bourbon or rum.
• In a food processor pulse pecans with 3/4 cup sugar until finely ground. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in flour.
• In another bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with salt at medium speed until white, opaque, and beginning to hold their shape. Gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating at high speed until whites hold soft (not stiff), slightly glossy peaks. Stir in pecan mixture with a spatula until well blended and fold in chocolate mixture until no streaks remain (batter will deflate).
• Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake cake in middle of oven 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Run a thin knife around edge of cake to loosen and invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.
• Remove parchment or foil and transfer cake to a platter. Cake may be wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled 1 week or frozen 1 month. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.
• Just before serving, dust cake with confectioners' sugar.