Chocolate Death

Preheat the oven to 350F. Thoroughly grease and flour either a large, deep bowl and a smaller one to fit in it (doing the outside of the smaller one or a 9" cake pan. Separate the eggs into yolks and whites. Cut up the butter and allow to soften a bit. Bring the water to a simmer, and in it melt the chocolate over low heat (that's right - *in* the water). Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks one at a time. Add the sugar and butter and mix well. Once everything has melted, stir in the flour. Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks and fold in. Pour into the prepared pan or bowl (setting the small bowl inside the large to create a domical "shell" if the latter) and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, testing carefully to avoid scorching. Remove and cool. Ganache Layer 24 oz 70%-type bittersweet chocolate 6.4 oz. heavy cream 5.6 oz. clotted cream (or 12 oz. heavy cream + 2 tbsp butter for the above 2 ingredients) Cocoa Use a box grater to grate all the chocolate into a bowl (It helps to hold the chocolate with a folded-up paper towel when grating to prevent it from melting in your hands). Bring the creams just barely to a simmer and immediately pour over the grated chocolate. Set aside to cool. When it just begins to solidify, whip with a sturdy whisk just long enough to add a bit of body. (Don't use a stand or electric mixer - they will whip far to much far too quickly. Allow the whole to cool overnight until solid. Take out a baseball-size amount, shape into a ball with your hands, dusted with cocoa, and roll the ball in cocoa. Take the rest and follow the same procedure but create a smaller size - about the size of a walnut for each. Set aside. Cream Layer 16 oz. 70%-type bittersweet chocolate 16 oz heavy cream Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and set aside to cool. Whip the cream until stiff peaks start to form. Pour the chocolate in while continuing to whip and whip until blended. Icing Layer 8 oz. 70%-type bittersweet chocolate 8 tbsp butter Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler. Set the top pan in a vessel with ice our ice water. Stir quickly and thoroughly until thick and creamy, and spread on the cake immediately afterwards. Either spoon the cream into the space betweeen the bowls in the finished cake if domical or split the cake in half and spoon in cream to the edges of the cake if round and flat. Set the big ganache ball in the very center of the cake and stud the rest of the cream randomly with the other balls. Invert onto a dish or set the top layer on top of the cream. Make the icing and immediately cover the cake with it. Refrigerate all. It's best for flavor to allow the cake to return to room temperature when serving, but most people will find the impact overwhelming so it's OK to serve chilled. Serves at least 12.