this dessert is a special recipe suitable for parties as it is large and very rich. I found it in a magazine and adapted it myself to be sugar free. It was easy since the sugar in the original recipe isn't needed for bulk, but with the amount of chocolate, it sure isn't low fat! I cut the cake into about 20 pieces.
Prep time: 5 hours or more (due to refrigeration) Skill level: average
Use a 10 inch springform pan, prepared for a bain marie or bake with a shallow pan of water in the oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
Cake: 3/4 cups water
4-5 cups splenda for baking
2 cups apple (prefer northern spy or cortland) peeled cored and chopped
2 tblsp brandy or Calvados (apple liqueur)
1/3 cup butter
1 lb unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
6 eggs
Ganache:
1 cup whipping cream
3 cups splenda for baking
8 oz unsweetened chocolate
Instructions:
use cooking spray in the springform pan. To make a bain marie: line the bottom of the pain with parchment, and use cooking spray again. Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around the outside of the pan, bringing foil to the top of the rim. When the cake is poured into the pan, place the pan into a large roasting pan and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the pan.
combine the water and splenda in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil and stir til splenda dissolved. Add apples and simmer until tender (about 25 min), remove from heat and mash. Add brandy or liqueur.
in a separate pan, melt butter over low heat, add chocolate, whisk until you have a smooth mixture. whisk the apple mixture into this. At this point, taste for sweetness, as you don't want the cake to be too bitter. It should be bitter-sweet, not too sugary tasting. add more splenda to eggs if needed. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add splenda now if more was needed. Add a small amount of chocolate mixture to the eggs, continue to add it a bit at a time until the whole amount is in.
pour the batter into the springform pan and bake until the centre of the cake no longer moves when gently shaken, about 50 minutes. remove from water bath, transfer to rack and cool. DO NOT remove from pan until after Ganache applied.
Ganache (to be applied to fully cooled cake)
bring whipping cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. add splenda, the chopped chocolate. taste and add more splenda if needed to make ganache bitter-sweet.
Poor ganache over cake and gently shake pan to evenly distribute it.
Cool and refrigerate until ganache set, about 2 hours.
run a knife around pan sides to loosen cake, then release sides.
Cut with a hot knife when serving.
enjoy