South of the Border Jalapeno Cream Cake

Two minced jalapenos in a chocolate cake sounds like a dare, but this is a seriously sophisticated dessert. The heat doesn’t hit until the finish, a slow warmth at the back of your throat that follows the deep bittersweet chocolate and the coffee-liqueur richness of Kahlua.

The batter comes together in stages: semi-sweet chocolate melts with Kahlua in a double boiler, butter gets creamed thick with sugar, egg yolks go in one at a time. Ground almonds replace some of the flour, giving the cake a dense, almost truffle-like crumb. Cinnamon bridges the chocolate and the jalapeño heat, tying two very different flavor worlds together.

Folding whipped egg whites into the heavy batter is what keeps it from being a brick. Fold a third in first to lighten the base, then gently incorporate the rest until no white streaks remain.

This cake bakes for only 25 minutes and is intentionally soft in the center. That’s not underdone, that’s the point. It sets as it cools into a fudgy, creamy texture.

Chef Tips

• Seed and derib the jalapenos thoroughly unless you want serious heat. The capsaicin lives in the ribs, not the flesh.
• Use good-quality semi-sweet chocolate. This cake has nowhere to hide cheap ingredients.
• Let eggs come to room temperature before separating. Cold whites don’t whip to stiff peaks as well.
• Don’t overbake. Pull at 25 minutes even if the center looks wobbly. Trust the cooling process.

Variations

• Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
• Add a pinch of cayenne alongside the jalapenos for an extra layer of heat.
• Replace Kahlua with Frangelico for a hazelnut-chocolate-jalapeño combination.