Flourless Foolproof Fabulous Chocolate Cake

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter an 8-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Beat the butter with 1/4 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, two at a time, and then the rum, then the walnuts, beating well each time. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and the rest of the sugaruntil they are stiff and shiny. Add the melted chocolate to the butter mixture and combine well. Fold in the egg whites and combine well, until there are no more white streaks. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. Cool the cake and then chill. Whip 2-1/2 cups of ganache until light and fluffy. Smooth a little of the ganache on top of the chilled cake. Sprinkle crushed toffee on top of the cake, and then cover the whole thing, top and sides, with ganache and chill for two hours. Serve the cake at room temperature.

Cream Ganache:
Bring the cream to a boil in a 6-quart pot. When the cream boils, remove it from the heat immediately and add all the chocolate at once. Stir with a wire whisk until the chocolate is all melted. Pour into a bowl, allow to cool at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and chill. You can keep in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for several months.

Toffee:
Preheat the oven to 175°F. Put nuts on a cookie sheet andplace in the oven to keep warm. Coat another cookie tray with vegetable oil. Put the sugar, water, corn syrup, and vanilla in a heavy saucepan and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water so that there is no sugar clinging to the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until it reaches a boil, continuing to wash down with water. After it has boiled for one minute, add the butter, stirring often. It is done when it registers 290°F on a candy thermometer and it is the color of a brown paper bag. Remove from heat and stir in the walnuts. Pour the mixture onto the oiled sheet and let it cool completely.

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