Yes, the ingredient list looks lengthy, but you can omit the ganache and burnt peanuts if desired and double the amount of frosting to entirely frost the cake. I think you will find a whole new meaning of decadence once you have tried this cake.
What is “bloom“? When you whisk a dry (in this case cocoa) with a hot liquid; and for some scientific reason, the flavor of cocoa multiplies substantially, giving you a deep chocolate flavor, especially when you add even more chocolate to the blooming process.
Many of you may remember either the Boston Baked Beans (the little red, rock-hard candies) of old, or grew up eating French Burnt Peanuts. This is a Yanked version of each, which lends a terrific salty-sweet crunch to this dessert. This cake easily makes 10 large servings.