Chocoholics Beware: Dangerous combo of rich chocolate cake, bacon jam and candied bacon.
It’s hard to even give this cake a description that does it justice. Meat Candy Cake? That just sounds wrong! Then again, a lot of people would assume that combining bacon and chocolate is wrong. If that’s the case, then how does something so wrong turn out so right? So delicious. So unforgettable. So ridiculously divine.
I’m not even a dessert person. Or a chocoholic. This cake is what I like to call, the “Get up at 2am and stand over the sink eating it with your hands” kinda good. I’m really proud of how this turned out, because typically, flourless chocolate cakes tend to be so rich that you can only really manage a couple bites before it’s too much. Well folks, there’s never such a thing as too rich when you combine chocolate with bacon. Correction: when you combine chocolate with chocolate bacon jam and candied bacon. Oh yes. This is bacon’s wet, chocolate dream. See that glossy ganache?Hidden underneath is a layer of chocolate bacon jam so it hits your palate just right– the perfect combination of sweet, smoky and salty.
I discovered bacon jam last year when I was experimenting with recipes for a segment on The Weather Channel. I made a cranberry bacon jam which I slathered on whipped sweet potatoes. It was crazy good. Sam Champion said so himself….(watch at :34 in!)
I had also previously experimented with dipping bacon in chocolate and peanut butter….
But this, y’all. THIS.
THIS. IS. RIDICULOUS.
Please make this recipe and post pics on my Facebook page!
To note: Make sure you use the HEAVY DUTY aluminum foil and wrap 3 times (yes, THREE times) around your springform pan so none of the water from the water bath seep in.
Slice ‘o Heaven.
- 1 cup freshly brewed coffee (8oz)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, diced
- 18 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate chopped
- 6 large eggs
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 pack center cut bacon
- 1 red onion
- 2 Tb butter
- 2 Tb sherry
- brown sugar
- unsweetened cocoa
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 or 10-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round. Spray pan and parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
- Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim.
- Combine coffee and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth.
- Whisk coffee/sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly.
- Whisk eggs separately and add to chocolate mixture, whisking until well blended.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
- Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes.
- Remove from water bath and transfer to a rack. Cool completely in pan.
- Preheat oven to 300.
- Lay out bacon strips on a rack sitting on a baking sheet.
- Press brown sugar into each individual slice (about 1 tsp per slice) and then sprinkle all the slices with cocoa powder. Bake for 40 minutes, until bacon is cooked and candied. Let cool.
- While bacon is cooking, slice red onion into thin rings.
- Saute in 2 Tb of butter on medium heat and keep stirring while onions soften.
- Continue cooking on low/medium heat for 30 minutes until soft and caramelized.
- Add sherry and crank up heat until alcohol cooks off, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Let cool.
- Put bacon (reserve a slice for crumbling) and caramelized onion in a food processor and pulse until mixture is smooth.
- Spread chocolate bacon jam on cooled cake. (Ganache layer goes on top of bacon jam).
- Bring 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to a simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat.
- Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of bacon jam.
- Make sure ganache is spread evenly.
- Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours.
- Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides.
- Sprinkle with crumbled candied bacon.
- Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.
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