chocolate souffle with white chocolate mint cream

what? you were imaging cute little cupcakes. or a great big cake, piled high with mint cream. yea, i was picturing that too. things aren't always as easy or foolproof as you may think.

but it doesn't mean they aren't absolutely delicious. to die for, even.

i spied these beautiful babies (have i been watching too much anne burrell?!) months ago and have had them flagged deep in the back of my mind to make for st patrick's day. perfect.

i read and reread the recipe. skimmed the comments for any show stoppers. nothing major. no huge disappointments or complete failures. perfect x2.

also, for the last couple months, i've been intrigued by the baking cake in a jar concept. sounds simple enough - instead of baking cupcakes in cupcake tins, the batter is baked in oven proof glass jars. the cake can be iced and lid closed, making them easier to transport.

silly me, i put two and two together. and got this.

i filled each 8 ounce jar three quarters full. each and every one of them rose so much during baking that they spilled over the sides! they look hideous! but the taste. perfect flourless chocolate. but how to serve it? i scraped (yes, scraped, this cake was stuck like glue) the cake out of the jars, roughly cut it up into bit size pieces and layered it in a bowl with the most perfect white chocolate mint cream i've ever had. judging by the scraped clean bowls and licked clean spoons, no one seemed to care that it didn't look perfect.

now i'm off to find more uses for this whipped cream.

chocolate souffle & white chocolate mint cream
adapted from smitten kitchen
1 hour, plus chill time, serves 8-12 (or makes 18-24 cupcakes)

for the cake:
12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 large eggs, separated
12 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

for the white chocolate cream:
8 ounces heavy cream
5 ounces white chocolate, chopped
about 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1. make the mint cream. place the white chocolate in a bowl and set aside. warm the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat just until it simmers. pour cream over the chocolate and let sit about five minutes. whisk until the chocolate is melted. whisk in the peppermint extract, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until you reach the desired mintiness. press plastic wrap on the surface of the cream (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill at least two hours.
2. while the cream is chilling, make the cupcakes. preheat the oven to 350F. line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners and set aside.
3. in a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over medium heat until smooth. remove from heat and cool slightly.
4. beat egg yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl until the mixture is thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. beat chocolate mixture and vanilla extract into the yolks. set aside.
5. using clean beaters, whip the egg whites until very soft peaks form. gradually add the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and the salt, and beat until medium peaks form.
6. fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture, one third at a time.
7. divide batter among the cupcake cups. bake about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached.
8. cool cakes on a wire rack.
9. while the cakes cool, make the whipped cream. whip the chilled mint cream until soft peaks form.
10. if your cakes were successful (and look good enough to serve to other people), spoon a dollop of mint cream on top of the cake and serve. if your cakes weren't successful, layer cake and mint cream in a large bowl or trifle dish (see above) and serve. 

check out  more sweet treats at sweet tooth friday and sweets for a saturday!