Product Description

For the chocolate lover, there is nothing like biting into a rich, dark slice of chocolate cake. More than a mouthful of something wonderful, it's a chocolate celebration. And nobody knows how to celebrate chocolate cakes better than the "guru of ganache," chef Marcel Desaulniers.

In Death by Chocolate Cakes, Marcel serves up some of his most inventive, most sinful, most seductive chocolate creations ever. His Chocolate Heart of Darkness cakes are the ultimate cupcakes. The secret--a melted chocolate truffle center. For an unforgettable birthday cake, serve the one he created for Julia Child: a ganache-covered chocolate almond cake with red raspberry mousse.

Have the desire for something that towers over ordinary chocolate desserts? Look up Excessively Expressive Espresso Ecstasy or Chocolate Strawberry Teardrop Cake. These are exactly the things when "over the top" is what you want. And for an elegant taste of Paris, try Marcel's Chocolate Pistachio Madeleines.

When you just can't wait for that chocolate fix, Marcel has plenty of quick-and-easy recipes, some of which come from Marcel's mom's circle of chocolate-lover friends. Pour yourself a cold glass of milk and dig into Margie's Golden Raisin Heavy Fudge Cake, Virginia's Cocoa Pound Cake with Warm Buttered Brandy Berries, or Mimi Montano's Chocolate Zucchini Cake. As a bonus, there is a collection of ice creams, sauces, beverages, and other delectables that are the perfect partners to Marcel's creations and an informative section on equipment, ingredients, and techniques.

Death by Chocolate Cakes truly takes the cake and then takes it to where it's never been before.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #305496 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-01
• Released on: 2000-09-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 228 pages

Amazon.com Review
No doubt about it: chocolate rules. Celebrating this happy fact is Marcel Desaulniers's Death by Chocolate Cakes, another installment in his bestselling Death by Chocolate series. These books bring chocolate sweets to, well, heart-stopping heights. Cake, which contains 50 or so recipes for goodies such as Chocolate Heart of Darkness Cakes (dense chocolate cupcakes with a molten chocolate-truffle center) and Excessively Expressive Espresso Fantasy (chocolate ganache-filled chocolate espresso cake topped with espresso mousse), also includes formulas for chocolate ice creams, drinks, and sauces--all in all a true debauch. Though its recipes are painstakingly written and easy to follow, most require multiple, technically exacting preparations; aside from chocolate voyeurs, they'll be of greatest interest to reasonably skilled bakers with time to spare.

Desaulniers divides his recipes into chapters such as "Baby Cakes," "Mom's Cakes," "Celebration Cakes," and "Sky-High Cakes." This portioning is somewhat arbitrary as the drill is usually a lusciously filled and topped layer cake. Delicious exceptions include My Little Kumquat Cake and Uncle Sam's in the Black Cake. If Desaulniers is given to a jokey cuteness (as evidenced by the above recipe titles), and neglects sometimes to describe his cakes so readers can make informed baking choices, he is careful to provide illuminating tips on equipment and techniques throughout. With 50 mouth-watering color photos, the book should bring great pleasure to all chocolate lovers, on the page and at meal's end. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
The chef of the Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, Va., Desaulniers (Death by Chocolate) offers 50 extravagant, elaborate, indulgent chocolate cakes. These are not treats for the kitchen shy, requiring as they do many phases and, within each phase, many steps. But the outcome is so luscious and Desaulniers is so charming and persuasive, it's hard to believe it's not time well invested. Sprinkled liberally throughout are anecdotes about the author's mother, his childhood and various recipe contributors, who include friends and family members, fellow pastry chefs and their relations. There are cakes served at the Trellis as well as recipes handed down from generation to generation and those discovered "on the road." Recipes for adorable baby cakes, whose size belie the intensity of their flavor, include Heart of Darkness Cakes, in which bakers are instructed to "remove the muffin tin from the oven and, moving quickly, place a single frozen truffle in the center of each portion of cake batter." Chocolate Chunk Cookie Cakes meet the demand for a tasty confection that can withstand the indignity of being plopped in a lunch box. There are also big event cakesAamong them, Julia's [Child] Eighty-fifth Birthday CakeAas well as cakes from out of town, such as The King's Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bourbon Cake, based on Elvis's favorite sandwich. The book concludes with an assortment of accompaniments, such as instructions for chocolate honey and a recipe for a wicked cocktail called Chocolate Temptress (think vodka and Frangelico). Many of these confections go over the top, but chocoholics will eagerly follow Desaulniers wherever he leads. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Like most of his earlier titles (Desserts To Die For, Death by Chocolate Cookies, etc.), Desaulniers's eighth cookbook features indulgent showstoppers, from Happy All the Time Cakes to Excessively Expressive Espresso Ecstasy, each one shown in a full-page color photograph. Although many of the recipes are complicated, instructions are detailed and clear; there are no headnotes per se to introduce these creations, but "The Chef's Touch" section at the end of each recipe provides tips and some background. Desaulniers's extravagant sweets have many fans; recommended for most collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Chocophiles Invited...
Chocophiles! Come to the party! You will be anything but disenchanted. Marcel Desaulniers has produced yet another collection of ambrosial recipes in Death by Chocolate Cakes. Whether you just want to savor the recipes in your armchair (please, no!) or attempt the delectable creations yourself, you will no doubt suffer serious pleasure. The directions are well written - I suggest reading through them once before attempting the devilish desserts - and most all of the recipes can be produced in an ordinary kitchen. The pictures that accompany the recipes are most helpful and I especially like the "chef's touch" which my own chocophile mind would have been dashed not to find. Give Chocolate Temptress to your date and he'll be your chocolate prisoner...I gave the Warm Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce to my husband (served on brownies): suffice it to say, the spell worked! This book is a delight.

Another chocolate classic from Marcel Desaulniers
Marcel Desaulniers has a feverish brain, and the fever has been induced by chocolate. In "Death by Chocolate Cakes," he provides recipes for mind-blowing chocolate experiences from Chocolate Peanut Butter Some More (Please) Cakes and Chocolate Chip Goober Gobble Cupcakes to Chocolate Peanut Root Beer Rumble to Cocoa Skillet Cake with Tequila Sunshine Salsa. The range of his imagination is breathtaking, and we should count ourselves lucky that the reach of his culinary prowess is just as broad. These recipes are wonderful!

Those who like to wing it in the kitchen may chafe a little under Desaulniers' firm touch--the recipes are nothing if not detailed, but that's because Desaulniers has the experience and expertise to tell you exactly how to do it. If you follow his directions, you can plan on spending a little longer in the kitchen than usual--but you can also bank on the fact that your family and friends will be first amazed, then delighted that you prepared anything from this book. Don't worry if you're not an incredibly experienced baker. You'll look at the level of detail involved and be intimidated at first, but in fact, Desaulniers' recipes are practically custom-made for the baker who likes a lot of hand-holding. He guides you from one step to the next with assurance and grace.

Desaulniers knows that we eat with our eyes before we eat with our mouths, and he is rightly known for preparing desserts which are as magnificent to gaze upon as they are to eat. He is aided greatly in this by the evocative photography of Duane Winfield, who captures with loving detail every chocolate cake oozing chocolate ganache, every glossy icing, and every delicious crumb of chocolate goodness.

Recipes I highly recommend include the Chocolate Heart of Darkness Cakes (in which you insert frozen chocolate truffles into cake batter just before baking--soooooooo amazingly good you just have to try it!) and the Chocolate Chunk Cookie Cakes (which I made with my 8-year old son and 5-year old daughter, who loved these as much as my husband and I did!). This book's a definite keeper!

A Chocolate Lover's Delight
It's delightful to enter Marcel's world of "chocolate enchantments"!! The recipes are not for the weak of heart when it comes to rich and chocolaty. Chocolate Heart of Darkness Cakes and Excessively Expressive Espresso Fantasy (pictured on the cover)are sure to satisfy even a non-chocophile. One of the features that I have come to enjoy in Marcel's books is his "Chef's Touch". He did not disappoint in Cakes. His Chef's Touch at the end of each recipe is filled with practical technical information, tips for beverage accompaniment, and wonderful vignettes. From his witty introduction to mouth watering recipes and practical advice on technique and equipment,and to the Chef's Touch, this book truly is a chocolate lover's delight and a good read!