CHOCOLATE-JALAPENO CAKE

CHOCOLATE-JALAPENO CAKE image

Yield 8 ppl

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 pound bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno chile pepper, seeded, deveined, and very finely chopped
5 eggs separated and at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups whipping cream (optional: flavored with Kahlua)
optional garnish - fresh berries or mint leaves

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 8-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water; remove from heat. --OR -- put chips in a pyrex bowl and melt in microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for one more minute. To the melted chocolate, add butter and chopped jalapeno pepper. Stir occasionally until smooth. Whisk in egg yolks, vanilla extract, and flour. Remove from heat to cool. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peak form. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of egg white mixture into chocolate. Quickly fold chocolate mixture in with the rest of the egg whites; pour mixture into prepared springform pan. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan on a wire rack. To unmold, slide a small knife around edge of cake to loosen it and remove sides of the springform pan; transfer onto a cake plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight. Serve at room temperature with whipping cream.