INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

ESPRESSO CAKE: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and
preheat to 350 F. Lightly butter an 8-inch square cake pan. Dust the
pan with flour and tap out the excess. Place the ground espresso into
a cup or small bowl. Heat the water to boiling and pour it over the
espresso powder. Allow the grounds to steep for 5 minutes. Strain the
coffee through a double layer of cheesecloth. Measure 1/4 cup of the
coffee and set aside. In a large howl, using a wire whisk, stir
together the flour, baking soda and salt. Sift the mixture onto a
large piece of waxed paper. In the 4 1/2-quart bowl of a heavy-duty
electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium
speed for 1 to 2 minutes until creamy. Gradually add the sugar,
blending well between additions, and scraping down the sides of the
bowl when necessary.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until
combined. Add vanilla and sour cream. On low speed, add half of the
flour mixture and beat until combined.  Add the 1/4 cup of espresso,
and mix well. Add the remaining flour mixture. Scrape the batter into
the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake
begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a tester inserted
into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and
set on a wire rack to cool completely.  CHOCOLATE CHUNK MOUSSE: Put the
chocolate in a food processor fitted  with the metal chopping blade.
Process for 20 to 30 seconds, until  finely ground. In a small
saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and salt.  Cook over medium heat,
stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar  dissolves and the milk
comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat.  Add the vanilla extract
and 1/4 cup of the Bailey's. With the motor  of the food processor
running, pour the hot milk through the feed  tube. Process for 10 to 20
seconds, until the chocolate is completely  melted. Using a spatula,
scrape the chocolate mixture into a large  bowl and cool for about 5
minutes, until tepid. In the 4 l/2-quart  bowl of a heavy-duty electric
mixer using the paddle attachment, beat  the mascarpone at medium-low
speed just until softened. Gradually add  the rest of the Bailey's,
scraping down the side of the bowl as  necessary. Switch to the wire
whip attachment, and beating on medium  speed, add the heavy cream.
Increase the speed to medium-high and  continue beating 2-3 minutes,
until soft peaks are formed when the  whip is lifted. Using a large
rubber spatula, fold one-third of the  whipped cream mixture into the
chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold  the remaining whipped cream into
the chocolate mixture. Fold the  toasted nuts and chocolate chunks into
the mousse.  ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Line an 8-inch square pan with foil,
leaving a  2-inch overhang on two opposite sides of the pan. Using a
long  serrated knife, slice the cake horizontally into two layers of
equal  thickness. Place the top layer, cut side up, in the bottom of
the  pan. Scrape the mousse onto the cake layer in the pan. Smooth the
top  with a small metal cake spatula. Place the second layer, cut side
down, on top of the mousse. In the 4 1/2-quart bowl of a heavy-duty
electric mixer using the wire whip attachment, combine the heavy
cream, Bailey's, and confectioners' sugar and beat on medium-high
speed until medium-stiff peaks are formed when the whip is lifted.
With a small metal spatula, spread the top of the cake with the
whipped cream. Sprinkle the chocolate chunks over the whipped cream.
Freeze the cake for 6 hours or overnight. Remove the cake from the
freezer. Lift it out of the pan, using the overhanging pieces of foil
as handles, and set it on a cutting board to temper for 30 minutes.
With a sharp knife, trim the four sides of the cake, then cut into
eight 4-inch-by2-inch bars. Serve on dessert plates with warm
chocolate sauce. Posted to MM-Recipes Digest by "John Weber"
<hdbrer@ibm.net> on Apr 09, 98

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 415
Calories From Fat: 351
Total Fat: 39.8g
Cholesterol: 166.7mg
Sodium: 250.7mg
Potassium: 121.8mg
Carbohydrates: 10.5g
Fiber: <1g
Sugar: 7.5g
Protein: 4.8g