Dec
31
These little desserts were made during Christmas time. Each cake is rich in chocolate and pomegranate — in a perfect portion. A little time consuming to make, but you can bake the cake and make the jelly filling up to two days before serving if you desire. I've heard several people say it's just too messy to get the seeds out of a pomegranate. Well there is a solution...
With a knife, make a few score marks in the pomegranate skin as you would an orange. In a large bowl of cold water, submerse the pomegranate. With your hands, dig into the score marks to break out the pomegranate arils. No mess, and it comes out so easily.
Chocolate Pomegranate Cakes
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. instant expresso powder
1 1/3 cup hot water
2/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. instant expresso powder
1 1/3 cup hot water
2/3 cup canola oil
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
FOR THE POMEGRANATE FILLING
2 cups pomegranate juice (I used POM)
FOR THE POMEGRANATE FILLING
2 cups pomegranate juice (I used POM)
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. pomegranate juice
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
3/4 cup heavy cream
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
3 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup pomegranate arils
DIRECTIONS
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup pomegranate arils
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven 350°F; line an 11x17 jelly-roll pan with parchment paper and coat with non-stick spray; set aside.
Whisk together the dry "for the cake" ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.
Combine the liquid "for the cake" ingredients in a measuring cup; whisk into dry ingredients only until flour is not longer visible. (Some lumps are okay). Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading batter to the edges. Bake cake for 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven; cool cake in pan on a cooling rack.
Turn cake onto another sheet of parchment paper. Peel original parchment paper from cake; trim edges from all sides of cake. Cut cake into thirds to form three 5x10 inch rectangles. See image below. You can use a ruler for accurate cutting.
Combine two cups of pomegranate juice and the 1/3 cup sugar for the filling in a saucepan; boil over high heat until liquid is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes.
Combine cornstarch and 3 tbsp. juice in a small bowl, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Whisk cornstarch mixture into reduced juice mixture in the saucepan. MAKE SURE you whisk while you are pouring or you will have large clumps. (Trial and error for me. I had to start this step over.)
Boil pomegranate filling for another 1–2 minutes to thicken and to cook out the flavor of the cornstarch. Transfer filling to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill.
Whisk together the dry "for the cake" ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.
Combine the liquid "for the cake" ingredients in a measuring cup; whisk into dry ingredients only until flour is not longer visible. (Some lumps are okay). Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading batter to the edges. Bake cake for 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven; cool cake in pan on a cooling rack.
Turn cake onto another sheet of parchment paper. Peel original parchment paper from cake; trim edges from all sides of cake. Cut cake into thirds to form three 5x10 inch rectangles. See image below. You can use a ruler for accurate cutting.
Combine two cups of pomegranate juice and the 1/3 cup sugar for the filling in a saucepan; boil over high heat until liquid is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes.
Combine cornstarch and 3 tbsp. juice in a small bowl, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Whisk cornstarch mixture into reduced juice mixture in the saucepan. MAKE SURE you whisk while you are pouring or you will have large clumps. (Trial and error for me. I had to start this step over.)
Boil pomegranate filling for another 1–2 minutes to thicken and to cook out the flavor of the cornstarch. Transfer filling to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill.
To assemble cakes, spread half of the chilled filling onto one cake layer. Top cake layer and filling with a second cake layer and remaining filling; top with remaining cake layer. Cut cake into 1 1/2-inch squares. transfer squares to a cooling rack over a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, leaving space between individual cake squares. Pics below to show steps.
Heat cream and corn syrup for glaze in a small saucepan over medium heat until mixture boils. Place semisweet and bittersweet chocolates in a bowl; pour cream mixture over chocolates. Let cream and chocolate stand three minutes, then whisk until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth.
Pour one tbsp. of glaze over each cake square. Spread glaze across tops of cake squares and along sides until cake squares are completely covered. Garnish each cake square with three pomegranate arils by pressing into chocolate. Let cake squares stand until glaze is firm, 30 minutes.
Adapted from: Cuisine at Home Issue #78
