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Chocolate Toffee Crunch Cake (D)
Source: Executive Pastry Chef Marika Shimamoto Doob, Hawthorne Lane
Serves: 6

Cake:
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. heavy cream
1/3 cup (2 oz.) chocolate chips
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tbsp. (2 oz.) unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup toffee, chopped into small pieces

Caramel:
5 pieces caramels
1-1/2 tbsp. cream

Chocolate Sauce:
1/2 cup (3 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

Make Cake:
Preheat oven to 275°F. Moderately coat a non-stick standard size muffin pan with vegetable spray. Cut rounds of parchment paper to fit the bottom of each mold (or use paper cup liners).

Fill a medium-size pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so the water is steaming but not simmering.

In a heat-proof bowl (large enough to fit over the pot) combine the milk, cream, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, butter, and sugar. Place the bowl over the steaming water. Mix often until melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from heat.

Sift the dry ingredients together then add to the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.

Fill 6 of the molds a little more than halfway with batter. Bake for 12 minutes, rotate the pan and bake another 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool 5 to 10 minutes.

Make Caramel:
Unwrap caramels and place into a very small pot. Add the cream and place over low heat. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Store at room temperature until needed. Before use, if the caramel is too hard, gently heat it until just warm to the touch.

Make Chocolate Sauce:
Combine the chocolate chips, butter, and cream in a heat-proof bowl and place over a pot of steaming water. Mix occasionally until melted and smooth. Store at room temperature until needed or refrigerate and warm when ready to serve.

Assembly:
Place one chocolate cake in the middle of each plate. Drizzle Caramel and Chocolate Sauce over the cakes. Top with chopped toffee then place a scoop of vanilla or Caramel Swirl Ice Cream (click here for recipe) on top. Garnish with golden sugar if desired.

Poster's Notes:
At Hawthorne Lane elegance is demonstrated in everything from the comfortably chic interior and fresh California cuisine to Executive Pastry Chef Marika Shimamoto Doob's gorgeous desserts. She simplifies restaurant-quality perfection for the home chef with her Chocolate Toffee Crunch Cake, which Managing Partner David Gingrass recommends serving with a Bual Madeira. It tastes like a spirits version of the dessert's caramel sauce, compliments the chocolate, and has a nutty character that echoes the nuts in the toffee.

Posted by Judy Bart Kancigor

Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A