Food

Rich Chocolate Desserts

February 6, 2012

Our favorite decadent chocolate recipes, including our devilishly good Heaven and Hell Cake, truffles, and souffle.

This flourless chocolate cake is rich, moist, and surprisingly light. It's wonderful served simply frosted, or it may be decorated with Chocolate Cigarettes--and/or served with whipped cream and berries on the side. See the recipe for Queen Mothers Cake »Christopher Hirsheimer

See the RecipeMartin Schreiber

Crisp, crunchy ladyfingers and toasted hazelnuts mold together with sweet raspberries, chopped chocolate, and brandy for the perfect biscotti-like, freeze-made treat. See the recipe for Chocolate Brandy Hazelnut Torte »Meredith Heuer

Very Moist Chocolate Layer Cake — Three velvety layers sandwiched with thick dark chocolate icing make a decadent, crowd-pleasing dessert.Todd Coleman

Rich yet airy, this decadent chocolate dessert also happens to be gluten-free.Helen Rosner

This delectable Italian specialty is cool, creamy, lightly nutty, and especially delicious when paired with our Chocolate Gelato.Christopher Hirsheimer

The recipe for this rich cake came from the wife of French food writer Jean-François Abert. We like to make this cake with Valrhona chocolate. See the recipe for Marie Jose Chocolate Cake »Arthur Meehan

See the RecipeGonzalo Galavis

This dessert comes from the cookbook The Eating in Bed Cookbook (MacMillian, 1962). It is a voluptuous chocolate pudding, perfect for eating in the privacy of your own bed.Michael Kraus

See the RecipeJames Baigrie

This signature dessert is loved for the unfailingly delightful surprise of the cakes' oozing centers. See the recipe for Warm Soft Chocolate Cake »Quentin Bacon

This cake uses chocolate four ways: ganache (chocolate cream frosting), chocolate cake layers, shavings, and cocoa.Landon Nordeman

Dark Dutch-process cocoa powder makes for a more flavorful, cookie-like crust, serving as the perfect base for a layer of rich caramel topped with decadent ganache.André Baranowski

Heaven and Hell Cake
Dallas chef Stephan Pyles's rich, multilayered dessert of angel food and devil's food cake, peanut butter mousse, and milk chocolate ganache should be frozen before icing is added and refrigerated before it's sliced. See this RecipeAndré Baranowski

German Chocolate Cake — This decadent triple-layer dessert takes its name from German's Sweet Chocolate, a product that's not German at all: the versatile baking chocolate was created by an American baker named Samuel German in 1852.André Baranowski

Adding rolled oats that have first been ground in the food processor helps hold these chocolate balls together while giving them an earthy note.Todd Coleman

Chocolate cream pie — A crunchy crust and pudding-like filling make this pie a standout.Michael Kraus

These decadent candies taste best with a pinch of sea salt sprinkled on top.Todd Coleman

The recipe for these cookies is based on one published in The Essential New York Times Cookbook. The addition of bittersweet chocolate tempers the cookies' sweetness, making for a more sophisticated bite. See the recipe for Flat and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies »Todd Coleman

See the RecipeEd Anderson

_ Susur Lee, Lee Restaurant, Toronto_ "It was the first time I had ever tasted his famous molten chocolate cake. I loved the soft sponginess of the cake's outer layer, similar to the texture of our Asian moon festival cake, but the best thing for me was the surprise inside" Read the complete SAVEUR 100 story » See the complete list of SAVEUR 100 items »Maxime Iattoni

See the RecipeTodd Coleman

This classic German cake, a masterpiece of cherry brandy-soaked pastry engineering, improves the longer it sits.Todd Coleman

cupcake — Softened goat cheese adds a delightful tang to sweet chocolate cupcakes. To keep them fresh, store the cupcakes in a cooler until ready to serve.Todd Coleman

Mexican Hot Chocolate (Chocolate Caliente) — The best early morning breakfast to be found on the street of any Mexican city is a nice hot cup of chocolate caliente with some churros, sweet tamales, or fresh-baked sweet goods from a bakery. Made from just chocolate and milk or water, it's a simple, rich drink.Maxime Iattoni

Chocolate Mousse — This simple yet sophisticated, airy yet intense concoction has been a hit with home cooks in America at least since the New York Times published its first recipe for the dessert in 1955.Todd Coleman

Nutella stirred into hot chocolate lends a luxurious texture and great, chocolate-hazelnut flavor. For an extra dose of hazelnut, add a splash of Frangelico.Maxime Iattoni

Don't get fooled by the simplicity of a chocolate pudding. This rich, velvety dessert, flavored with bittersweet chocolate and rum, is a real crowd pleaser.Todd Coleman

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie — Chocolate pudding is layered with a peanut butter mousse in this pie inspired from Bradley's Corner Cafe in Topeka, Kansas.Todd Coleman

Infused with subtle floral aromas and rolled in earthy-sweet almonds, these are a sophisticated take on the classic chocolate truffle.Yossy Arefi

Thick ganache made with dark chocolate and cream makes for a donut topping that's both classic and classy.Todd Coleman

Christopher Hirsheimer

Ozark Sour Chocolate Cake — This cinnamony chocolate cake was a staple at the now-closed Half-a-Hill Tavern in Greene County, Missouri, in the heart of the Ozark Mountains. It gets a pleasing tang from vinegar, and a moist, light crumb thanks to shortening in the batter.Penny De Los Santos

Chocolate Ginger Chess Pie — A decadent mix of chocolates and ginger ups the ante on a classic Southern pie.Andrew Ingalls

Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies — Replacing standard all-purpose flour with whole grain rye makes a dense, fudgy cookie with an intense and complex chocolate flavor. Get the recipe for Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies »Helen Rosner

Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio Florentines — A glossy coating of chocolate makes these famously buttery, crunchy wafer cookies.Helen Rosner

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