Chocolate-Truffle Torte

A little slice of this cake goes a long, long, long way. It's sinfully chocolaty, moist and decadent. It stands alone easily but the chocolate is really enhanced with fresh berries. The recipe says it serves 10 but I easily fed 16, it's that rich.

It's another recipe from Everyday Food magazine. The recipe calls for dark rum but I used Irish Cream and it was wonderful!

You need:

* Unsalted butter, room temperature, for baking pan
* 1 pound semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
* 6 large eggs, room temperature
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons dark rum (or other liqueur)
* 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks, plus more for serving (optional)

You do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Assemble a 9-inch springform pan with the raised side of the bottom part facing down; secure side. Butter pan; line side with a long strip of waxed or parchment paper. Butter paper. Wrap bottom and side of pan with aluminum foil (to prevent water from seeping in); do not tuck foil inside pan. Set a kettle of water to boil for step 5.
2. In a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate. Remove bowl from pan, and let cool to room temperature. (I used Bakers chocolate and melted it in the microwave. For this amount of chocolate I begin at one minute, stir, then heat in 30 second increments until smooth)
3. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on high, beat eggs, sugar, salt, and liqueur until mixture is thick, foamy, and forms a ribbon when you lift the beater, 4 to 6 minutes.
4. Stir half the egg mixture into the cooled chocolate to lighten. Fold in remaining egg mixture, then whipped cream. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and smooth top.
5. Place springform pan in a roasting pan; carefully pour hot water from the kettle to come halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake until torte is set and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes.
6. Transfer springform pan to a wire rack; remove foil and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate torte in pan until well chilled, about 3 hours. To serve, release side. Using a knife dipped in warm water, cut torte into thin slices. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Why bake this in a water bath?
Baking this torte in a hot-water bath helps set the cake so it doesn't crack.