Café Luna Chocolate Decadence Cake / Truffles

CAKE:
1 pound dark, milk, semi-sweet chocolate, broken into chunks
1/4 # + 2 tbl. Butter
5 eggs, room temperature
1 TBL sugar
1 TBL flour

FINISHING:
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 TBL Grand Mariner (optional)
4 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate, slightly warmed to make chocolate curls with a vegetable peeler
12 oz. Frozen raspberries, thawed, pureed and stained, adding 2 TBL sugar and 1 tsp. Lemon or orange
juice
Powdered sugar to dust serving piece
Mint leaves for garnish
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Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 425°
1. In an 8-9" round cake pan, or a 9" square brownie pan, wipe well with softened butter, and if you have it, lay a layer of parchment paper over the bottom of the pan, and butter that top as well.

2. In a double boiler over, not in hot water, melt the chocolate and the butter together until soft, and stir, stir in the flour, and then set aside.

3. In an electric mixer, break eggs and add 1 tbl. sugar to mixing bowl, turn on to medium, and beat until starting to thicken, then turn to high and beat until tripled in volume and very light.

4. Using a wire whisk or a rubber spatula, stir the egg mixture into the chocolate trying not to deflate the egg mix.

5. Pour into the prepared pan, and “thump” it once on a hard surface to remove any bubbles.

6. Bake in your pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes (cake will still be soft in the center) and then let cool at room temperature.

7. Wrap this up, freeze it overnight (or up to one month).

8. To unmold this cake from the pan, place it over a lit stove flame for about 15 seconds, spinning it the whole time. Place your hand or another plate over the top, and invert the cake onto this plate.

9. Puree your berries and strain out the seeds, adding the sugar and the lemon or orange juice. Refrigerate.

10. Whip the whipped cream, adding the powdered sugar and Grand Marnier if using.

Serving:
Serve wedges of the cake, drizzling with the berry puree, and adding a dollop of whipped cream to the side, and placing a mint leave for garnish. Dust with powdered sugar.

Variations:
1. To chocolate mixture, add 1/4 cup ground up toasted hazelnuts, or pecans to mixture. Proceed as usual.

2. Add 1 TBL. instant coffee crystals or instant Espresso powder to heavy cream and chocolate cake mixture.

3. Add 1 TBL. fresh orange zest to melting chocolate cake mixture.

4. Try using white chocolate instead of regular chocolate cake mixture.

5. Or combine all of these together.

TRUFFLES:
1. Cut cooled cake into 1-1/2" squares. Serve as is stacked in a pedestal cake dish, or roll into balls. You can also take them one step further and roll the balls in cocoa powder or powdered sugar. (Try mixing the tiniest bit of cayenne pepper into the cocoa....good flavor boost and surprise!)