With the addition of rich chocolate ganache, the Devil’s Food Cake you’ve now mastered can go from everyday fabulous to over-the-top decadence. This recipe for a 6-inch cake is perfect for a romantic date night or a small, formal dinner party, although it can easily be doubled for a standard three-layer 8-inch cake or two-layer 9-inch cake. The ganache here has a subtle hazelnut flavor, but by simply substituting other flavorings for the hazelnut liqueur, you have a wealth of other options. Take note: Icing your cake with ganache will be slightly more difficult than with icing because the consistency of the ganache is a bit thinner until it sets, and if it becomes too cold, it will be hard to spread. Be patient as the ganache cools. If you spread it too soon, it will be challenging to accumulate a thick enough layer on the cake. Once the ganache is spreadable (the consistency of ordinary icing or peanut butter), work quickly in icing your cake. If the ganache gets too cold and thick, it will begin to crack and pull apart the cake as you try to spread it. If that happens, just reheat the ganache over a double boiler until it becomes malleable again.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.
Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.
A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.
This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.
I should address the awkward truth that I don’t use butter here but cream instead. You could, if you’re a stickler for tradition (and not a heretic like me), add a big slab of butter to the finished curry.