Categories: pastry

Ingredients

• Cream-puff Paste
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• chocolate filling:
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 oz. (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 eggs
• Chocolate glaze:
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• Whipped Cream:
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• unsweetened cocoa powder to taste, optional

Directions

1. Butter a 9 inch circle on a cookie sheet. Drop paste by 1/4 measuring cupful just inside circumference of the circle so that it forms a ring. Or force paste through pastry bag fitted with wide mouth tube, forming 2 rings, one inside the other, to make base; continue piping remaining paste in layers until completely used.
2. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 40 minutes, or until puffed and well browned. Cool on rack. A few hours before serving, carefully slice ring crosswise with long, sharp, thin-bladed knife and gently lift off top.
3. Fill with Chocolate Filling and replace top. Drizzle with Chocolate Glaze, then sprinkle with almonds. Chill several hours or until ready to serve. Serve with a small dollop of Whipped Cream, if desired.

4. Cream-puff Paste:

5. Combine water, butter, sugar and salt in heavy saucepan and bring to boil. Add flour all at once, then beat with wooden spoon over low heat 1 minutes, or until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a mixture that does not separate. Remove from heat and beat about 2 minutes to cool mixture slightly. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until mixture has a satin-like sheen.

6. Chocolate Filling:

7. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate and vanilla, then add eggs one at a time, beating 2 minutes after each. Continue to beat until sugar is thoroughly dissolved, then chill.

8. Chocolate Glaze:

9. In top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling water, melt the chocolate squares and 2 Tbsp. butter, stirring to combine.

10. Whipped Cream:

11. Beat heavy cream and sugar until stiff. Serve with ring, if desired. For chocolate-flavored whipped cream, add powdered unsweetened cocoa to taste while beating.

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