Chocolate Cake with Lucifer's Nuts


I used the chocolate cake and chocolate frosting recipes in Lindsey Shere's
"Chez Panisse Desserts," substituting Lindt Excellence for her combination of
semisweet and bitter chocolates. (By the way, "Chez Panisse Desserts" is an
awesome cookbook, now back in print and even in paperback!) You could use any
chocolate cake recipe you like; a very rich and buttery substrate is a good
idea at this heat level. 

I then added the following to the batter (reserving a dozen for garnishing
the top of the iced cake). 

Lucifer's Nuts


1 cup pecan halves (or subsitute the nut of your choice)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dried habenero powder (use your judgment on this!)
1/4 teaspoon salt.


Over a medium-high heat, stir the water and sugar in a small teflon skillet
until the sugar is dissolved. Add the nuts, and stir constantly until the
water is mostly evaporated (about 3-4 minutes). Add the chile and salt to
coat well, and stir constantly until the water is gone. Remove the nuts to a
piece of wax paper, separating the pecan halves from each other with a fork
if necessary. Let cool, and incorporate them into the cake batter just before
pouring it into the pan. 

To make the habenero powder, I just put 4 dried habs in the spice grinder,
and ground until very fine. Let the grinder settle for a couple of minutes
before trying to remove the powder :-) Using finely powdered dried hot
peppers of a lesser burn level would be appropriate for the non-maniacal
chile-head.... 



