Chocolate Orange Intoxication Recipe

For Flourless Chocolate Cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use melted butter to coat the inside of two 8-inch cake pans. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of each pan and butter top side of paper.

Combine Cointreau, 6 oz. sugar and orange zest in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. (Watch not to ignite the liquor). Remove from heat and add chocolate. Mix well and then add 9 oz. butter. Mix well and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs and remaining 3 oz. of sugar. Mix on medium high for 3 minutes. Slowly fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs, do not mix aggressively.

Pour chocolate mix into pans and cook for 40 minutes in a water bath. Cool cakes completely for 8 hours.

For Ganache: Melt chocolate in double boiler. Boil cream and set aside to cool. In mixing bowl, whip butter until soft. Mix cream with chocolate until homogenous. Add this mix to the butter and finish with adding the liquor. Set aside in cooler to chill.

For Assembly: Heat bottom of cake pans and turn the pan upside down to remove cakes. Top the first cake with ganache. Carefully place the second cake on top of the ganache and center the cake. Avoid pushing down on the cake and mashing the ganache out of the layers.

Take the rest of the ganache and cover the top and sides of the cake. Take a 3 oz. block of bittersweet chocolate and grate over the top and sides of the cake for decoration.

Chef Keith Studebaker, Cibola (Wichita, Kansas)