Booklish Recipe #02: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell Black Forest Raven Cake
Black Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 8oz. packages of cream cheese
- 14 tbs condensed milk
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup 60% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate chips
- 25 drops black food coloring
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Blend together cream cheese, condensed milk, and eggs until smooth.
- Melt chocolate in a nonstick saucepan or with indirect heating on low heat. Stir constantly until smooth.
- Pour chocolate into cream cheese mixture and blend until smooth.
- Pour in food coloring and blend well.
- Pour mixture into 10″ springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Store in freezer until needed.
Blackberry Syrup filling
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole blackberries
- 4 tbs cornstarch
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Directions
- Put blackberries and water into a saucepan. Turn heat on medium-high.
- Smash blackberries gently until mushy.
- Pour in white sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Sift cornstarch in gradually, stirring constantly until dissolved.
- Turn heat off once the mixture is bubbly and even.
- Store in refrigerator until very cold.
English Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbs cacoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/4 cup earl grey tea
- 1 tsp sage
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in eggs.
- In another bowl, mix together dry ingredients– flour, cacao powder, salt, baking soda, sage, and black pepper.
- When preparing the earl grey tea, steep it extra long so that the tea is very dark and strong.
- Alternatively mix in the dry mixture and tea into the creamed butter.
- Grease a 10″ springform pan. Pour mixture into pan, making sure to raise batter on all sides. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Store in a cool place until room temperature.
Black Tea Chocolate Icing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup cacao powder
- 7 tbs strong black tea
Directions
- Cream together butter and powdered sugar.
- Pour in cacao powder and tea, and mix well.
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 1 cup 60% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Melt chocolate in a nonstick pan or over indirect heating on low heat stirring constantly.
- Pour in heavy cream and continue stirring until smooth.
Other
- Dense chocolate ice cream
Construction
- Once the cheesecake is completely cooled in its springform pan, pack a 1″ layer of chocolate ice cream on top as densely as possible.
- Once the blackberry filling is cool, pour over ice cream evenly.
- Freeze entire cake at this point for an hour in case ice cream has softened.
- Pop the cake out of its pan and place on top of the black berry filling.
- Cut the cake around the edges and remove from pan.
- Cover entire cake with black tea chocolate icing. Make sure to cover the ice cream layer thoroughly on edges.
- While hot, pour ganache over entire cake.
- Freeze before serving.
- Enjoy! Don’t forget to read!
I think I’d be a little too intimidated to do all of the layers, but I’d definitely love to try the tea/pepper cake + tea icing combo. Agggh tea-flavored things.
This is the cake planned in honour of my daughter’s 16th birthday!
Lillie, we’re both thrilled to hear it. Thank you for sharing, and happy birthday to your daughter!!