Chocolate Chipotle Cake

This cake is not for the faint of heart. Out of the box it looks like any dense, rich, chocolate cake, but one bite tells you this is not Grandma's chocolate cake!

The secret ingredient in this cake is the adobo sauce. Adobo sauce can be found in specialty shops and in the Mexican food section of most groceries. Adobo sauce is made from dried peppers, some tomato and spices. The peppers are chipotles, a smoked, red jalapeño pepper. You will generally find the sauce in a 7 ounce can. For this recipe, you need to take the can of adobo pour it into a mesh strainer over a bowl and force the peppers and sauce through the strainer. You are trying to remove the solids from the peppers, leaving a smooth, thick puree. This pure pepper essence gives this cake its powerful punch. Try serving this cake with a spoon of creme fraiche or whipped cream, as milk solids help to cool the heat.

Place the adobo in a mesh strainer and remove the solids. Combine the sugar and orange juice and bring to a boil, to form a light syrup. Break up the chocolate and place in a large bowl. Pour the syrup over the chocolate and stir till melted. Add the butter and continue stirring till melted, Add your eggs one at a time, incorporating thoroughly after each addition. Add the adobo puree, the flour and salt until just incorporated. Pour into the lined wood cake box and bake at 300 degrees for 90 minutes until just firm in the center.