DEATH BY CHOCOLATE butter 1 cup granulated sugar flour 2 teas. frangelico, creme de cacao, 10 oz. semisweet chocolate kahlua or DARK RUM 1/2 cup (lightly salted) butter 1/2 teas. vanilla 6 large eggs, separated, at room 2 to 3 tblsp. powdered sugar temperature 1. Place rack in lower third of oven. Heat oven to 375F. Butter and flour bottom and sides of 8-inch springform pan. (At this altitude, the cake rises to the very top of the pan, so be sure to butter and flour the top lip of the pan as well.) 2. Melt chocolate and butter together and hold over a pan of warm water. 3. Beat egg yolks in large mixing bowl at high speed, gradually adding 3/4 cup of sugar. Beat until yolk mixture is pale yellow and thick, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chocolate mixture to yolk mixture; beat until completely smooth. Add liquour and vanilla; beat until blended. 4. Beat egg whites in medium mixing bowl and high speed until soft peaks form. gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue beating until stiff but not dry peaks form. Fold whites gently but thoroughly into chocolate mixture. Pour batter evenly into reserved pan; smooth top. 5. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake another 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250F and bake another 30 minutes (1 hour total baking time). Turn oven off; prop open oven door and allow cake to remain in oven for 30 minutes. Remove cake from oven and cover top with damp paper towel; let stand for 5 minutes. 6. Remove towel and cool cake completely. Dome of cake should crack and collapse; press top of cake down lightly to smooth. Remove springform and transfer cake to serving platter. Dust top of cake with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 8-12. High altitude problems: The top of the cake seems to develop a crust which is thicker than it should be, so step 6 (pressing top of cake down) doesn't work too well. The crust should only be about 1/8 inch thick and it turns out about 1/4-3/8 inch here. Courtesy: Rebecca Burgess.